


Cerulean Silver vs Amber Gold

by HiKaRanko



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Humor, Book 6: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Draco Malfoy Feels, Edward Elric Swears, Explicit Language, F/M, Gen, Good Slytherins, Off-screen Relationship(s), Slytherin Edward Elric, Slytherins Being Slytherins, where is Amestris
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2018-07-16 14:15:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 78,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7271614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HiKaRanko/pseuds/HiKaRanko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Originally posted at FanFiction.net, being reposted with edits and retouchings (BECAUSE IT'S BEEN LIKE 10 YEARS).</p><p>Edward Elric is put on what he believes to be his stupidest mission yet: Babysitting a "Wizard." Everyone else calls it undercover work. To him, it's babysitting. But there's a lot more to this assignment than what's on file. And the more time passes, the more shit hits the fan.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dumbest... Assignment... Ever

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: As much as I wish and hope and pray that one day I will wake up and have all the rights to have the Fullmetal Alchemist series, it has not yet happened. So FMA, my most favorite and the absolutely most brilliant manga series EVAR, belongs to Hiromu Arakawa (and Studio BONES). All things Harry Potter belong to J.K. Rowling... and this story belongs to me and MJade-1! ^_^

* * *

 

 

Edward Elric was not happy.

Actually, saying that would be a complete understatement; Edward Elric was pissed. He still wasn't sure exactly what he was doing sitting in a fancy looking private car on a train bound for a place that Ed was quite sure wasn't supposed to exist. He'd spent most of the trip so far staring grouchily out the window at the lush green scenery outside as it whizzed past his vision.

There was no one to talk to. Well, no one _interesting_ anyway. Ed glanced over at the other people in the car. There was one chubby guy with an idiotic face and short, bristly hair and another thickset boy with a pudding-bowl haircut. One of them had his long, gorilla-like arms folded over his chest while the other was reading some comic book. They were grinning wickedly along with one other boy, a pale-faced boy with white-blonde hair, pointed features, and cold silver eyes. Like a boss of the mob, he lay stretched out on the seat with his head on the lap of the only girl in the compartment. He was easily distinguished as the leader.

Ed snorted and returned his attention out the window. That last kid. All of Ed's current misery could be blamed on him. 

 

"WHAT THE _HELL_  IS THIS?!"

Colonel Roy Mustang didn't even flinch at the loud bang made by Ed's fists as they slammed down on his desk. He just calmly glanced at the envelope that Ed had thrown toward him, vaguely recognizing it. He mentally reviewed its contents before pushing it back toward Edward.

"Is there a problem, Fullmetal?"

The Fullmetal Alchemist glared at him hatefully. "'Is there a problem'?!" he echoed incredulously. " _Obviously_ there's a problem! What the hell kinda assignment is this, Colonel? When the hell did I become a damn _babysitter_?!"

Mustang's eyebrows came together in mild confusion as he looked at Ed. "Babysitter? Where in the file does it say anything about being a babysitter?"

"It might as _well_ say I'm gonna be a babysitter! You guys are telling me to keep an eye on some spoiled rich kid! What's the big idea?!"

The colonel groaned, feeling the hint of a brand new headache. "Fullmetal..."

"And what's up with all the wizards and magic crap?!"

"Fullmetal."

"I don't have time for an idiotic assignment like this, Mustang, and you know that."

"Fullmetal."

"If you guys are makin' fun of me, I swear I'll...!"

Roy snapped his fingers impatiently, a small spark of fire rising into the air with a roar. "FULLMETAL! Shut up and listen to briefing!"

Ed's eye twitched slightly. He slowly shut his mouth and stepped away from the desk to grudgingly stand at attention, hands clenched into tight fists as he fought the itch to sock Roy right in that annoying pretty boy face of his. Roy let out a breath and leaned back in his chair, folding his hands as his eyes came to rest on the clutter that was scattered about his desk.

"Believe it or not, Fullmetal, this is a proper mission. I know it seems ridiculous to ask the military to watch over someone's child and keep him in check, but we have our reasons."

_'Yeah, you better,'_ Ed thought bitterly, narrowing his eyes. "Such as?"

"The wizarding world in Great Britain is currently under the threat of someone called Lord Voldemort. He is a powerful dark wizard who has recently come back to life and appears to be plotting something along the lines of world domination. If he isn't stopped soon, this wizard community won't be the only ones affected. So it's in _everyone's_ interests to maintain the peace, including ours."

A single eyebrow arched upward skeptically. It sounded like the set up to a bad joke or something. The man couldn't be serious. "Lord Voldemort"? "Dark wizard"? At the very least this was the beginning to a fairy tale or a novel for kids. The look that passed over Ed's face went unnoticed as Colonel Mustang continued his explanation.

"Efforts are being made to stop him and his followers now. It is, however, difficult to determine who amongst the people are his allies. It seems as though they are good at hiding themselves. But we do happen to have a lead."

Having effectively checked out of the whole thing already, Ed shifted his weight onto his prosthetic leg, getting tired of standing. He glanced briefly at the couch just behind him, wishing he had opted to sit there rather than stand at strict attention. Then he looked back at Colonel Mustang with an irritated sigh, scratching the back of his neck and grumbling his annoyance under his breath.

"What's the lead?"

"The boy mentioned in the file, Fullmetal," Roy said.

He tapped one gloved finger on the envelope and pushed it back, gesturing for Ed to pick it up. Ed looked at the envelope sternly for a moment. He had already glanced through some of the papers, just to get the basic gist of the assignment. He didn't care enough to actually read the entire report. As soon as he'd realized this was a babysitting mission, he'd stormed straight to that very office.

"His father was one of Voldemort's followers, one of his immediate subordinates. He was recently captured. But that doesn't mean that his family isn't also involved in all this." Here Roy raised his eyes and his tone became even more solemn and firm. "The boy needs to be watched."

"So he gets his very own babysitter, imported straight from the military of Amestris," Ed muttered, rolling his amber-colored eyes in annoyance. "That still doesn't explain why _I_ got picked."

A smirk hinted at the corners of Roy's lips. The colonel looked up at Edward and leaned forward on his desk. A cold shiver ran up and down Ed's spine at the gesture. There was something about the look in his eyes that Ed _definitely_ didn't like.

"Undercover work, Fullmetal," he said. "He's still a kid, even if he _has_ abruptly become the head of the family. The best place to watch over him is at his school."

Ed raised an eyebrow. "School...?"

He hadn't gone to school since the day he and his younger brother had tried to transmute their mother. Ed had gone straight from being an elementary school student to a dog of the military. It wasn't like school ever changed, so Ed could definitely expect it to be just as boring as he remembered it. But more importantly, Edward Elric was _way_ too smart for school.

Roy only nodded. "Yes. He goes to a private magic school: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Now-"

"Oh no," Ed growled. He knew too well what was coming next and he didn't like it at all. "You're not sending me on this stupid mission because of the whole school thing, are you?"

Colonel Mustang smirked. "Well, you've just saved me some breath, Fullmetal." Ed twitched. "You are to be enrolled at this Hogwarts school to keep watch on the boy. I have already spoken to the headmaster and arranged for someone to get you the materials you need."

"I don't believe this," Ed muttered, folding his arms over his chest.

Roy attempted to organize some of the paperwork on his desk as he rose to his feet. "In addition, your younger brother can't go with you. He will have to remain here at headquarters."

Ed suddenly looked horrified. "What're you talking about?! Why the hell not?!"

"Sorry, Fullmetal," Roy said, though he didn't sound apologetic in the slightest. He grabbed the envelope and shoved it into Ed's hands. "I'm afraid he would be too conspicuous."

"You've gotta be kidding!" Ed shrieked. "Then reassign me!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Roy went on calmly. "These orders come from higher than myself. And after all, there aren't many people enlisted in the military who are quite as small as you are."

Ed snapped. "WHO'S SO SMALL THAT YOU NEED A MAGNIFYING GLASS TO ACTUALLY SEE HIM?!"

"A little schooling will do you good, Fullmetal."

"WHAT'S _THAT_ SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!"

Before he really knew what was happening, the doors opened and Edward suddenly found himself pushed into the hallway, tumbling straight into the opposite wall with a pained yelp. His younger brother Alphonse looked up at him in surprise, sheets of metal grinding against one another with the movement. He stood, rising to his full armored height of about eight feet and moved quickly to his older brother's side.

"Brother! Are you okay?"

Ed groaned painfully in response, rubbing his aching forehead where it hit the wall. He then jumped back to his feet and spun around to face Roy, who was now standing in the doorway with his hands on the doors.

"WHAT WAS _THAT_ FOR?!"

"I will be escorting you to the manor," Roy said bluntly from the doorway. "The school year begins in three days. We leave in the morning."

He then slammed the doors shut, and a click could be heard as they were locked from the other side. Ed charged the doors, loudly banging his fists against them.

"HEY! We're not through here!"

Were it possible for a suit of armor to break into an anxious sweat, Al would have done exactly that as he stared at the figure of his older brother. He wasn't the only one, either. Several officers that had been walking down the hall were now frozen in place, their eyes wide as they watched the small, blonde alchemist pound on the doors. After a few more moments of banging on the doors with no response, Ed groaned and hung his head in bitter defeat. Everyone who had stopped in their tracks resumed walking, except now they moved a little bit faster as they stared fearfully at Edward.

Ed let his head bang on the door one last time. "Al?"

"Y-Yes?"

"I hate this job."

 

"I should just walk out," Ed grumbled as he threw open the door to their room, Alphonse just behind him. "We should just get out of here before Colonel Mustang drags me to that bogus place."

"Actually," Al said cautiously, "the colonel already told everyone in the building not to let you leave."

Ed's eyes widened in anger. " _WHAT_?!"

"I heard people saying something about making sure you stay in the building while you were in his office. Seems like he told everyone before we even got here."

"I'M GONNA KILL HIM!"

He spun around on his heel and was just about to run back out the door when Al grabbed his arms and held him back. This only made Ed flail his arms and kick violently at the air as he was carried back into the room and dropped in a grumpy heap on his bed.

"Brother! Calm down!"

"Damn that Colonel Bastard!" Ed growled when he finally relented, sprawled out on the bed and glaring up at the ceiling. "I'm trapped. I have no say in this at all, do I?"

"Seems that way," Al said, stepping back now that Ed was significantly calmer. He shrugged his metal shoulders as he sat on the floor. "You should start reading the file, then."

The elder Elric started to protest against reading through the whole report, but, as usual, Al convinced him otherwise. So while Al stuffed several sets of Ed's clothes into his trunk, Ed grudgingly opened the envelope in his hands and fished out the papers. He shuffled through them quickly, scanning through the files a second time for anything of interest.

The stack of papers was thick: there were not only reports on the family and situation that Ed was to get involved with, but also histories and maps about the "wizarding world" and this "war" that they were currently fighting. It sounded serious, but Ed couldn't help rolling his eyes as he skimmed through. Magic. He'd never once believed in the concept of it.

Though he had told Al that he would read the reports properly, he pretty much skipped through anything that didn't seem to be important. What Al didn't know wouldn't hurt him, after all.

"Dumbest... assignment... ever," Ed muttered under his breath.

Alphonse glanced over at Ed as he read through the reports, somewhat fascinated by the existence of real magic. Although he had laughed when Ed first explained everything to him, the idea of learning magic was intriguing. He eventually turned away with a sigh, grabbing Ed's auto-mail kit and packing it into his suitcase.

After a long, silent moment, Ed slowly lowered the papers. "Hey Al."

"What's wrong, Brother?"

A wicked, scheming grin was on Ed's face as he turned to face his little brother. "Hide me in the armor and we'll get outta here."

Al jumped slightly in shock, waving his hands frantically in front of him. "But Brother! Those are direct orders from the colonel! You'll get into a lot of trouble - maybe even lose your state license!"

Ed got off the bed and went over to Al, reaching out to undo the straps for his chest plate. "You just gotta hide me in your armor and walk out the front door."

The younger Elric fought Ed off. "But...!"

"Aw, come on. It'll be _easy_."

"But if they catch us...!"

A wicked glint could be seen in Ed's golden eyes. "If we don't get caught, we won't get caught."

"You're evil."

The state alchemist merely grinned.

"There are serious punishments for disobeying orders!" Al continued to protest. "Just go on the assignment, Brother! Why are you dragging _me_ into your evil schemes?"

"It'll be fine! Just hide me and make a run for it!"

"Go on the mission or I'll turn you in!"

"You'd betray your older brother?!"

"If you use me to run away, then... yes!"

Ed twisted his face into false anger as he quickly thought about what to say next. There were a lot of different cards he could play in a situation like this. But his planning was cut short as Al turned away and slowly looked down at Ed's suitcase. To most people, deciphering the emotions of Alphonse Elric was near impossible thanks to the armor, unless it was obvious. But Edward knew everything there was to know about his little brother. This was Al getting depressed. Ed watched him for a moment longer, starting to feel guilty, and then sat back on the bed.

"Sorry, Al. I shouldn't have tried to drag you into-"

"I wish I could go with you, Brother..."

Shocked, Ed slowly turned his golden eyes on Al. The shoulder plates of his armor slumped slightly and a sad sigh could be heard reverberating in his metal torso. After a moment Ed picked up the papers with a loud, annoyed groan.

"What're you talking about, Al?" he asked loudly, doing his best to sound overly fed up. "You're lucky! All this crap about _magic_. That's fairy tales and kid stuff! A complete waste of our time! We're alchemists. Scientists! We don't believe in any of this stuff, right?"

Al just nodded his head sadly.

"I mean, I shouldn't even have to go," Ed went on, still trying to cheer his little brother up. He sat up and began to hastily stuff the papers back into the envelope. "You and I already have our hands full with our research. We don't have time for a mission like this, right? Yep, I'm goin' straight to the brass this time, I'll get myself reassigned, and then we--"

He had only just stood up when Al suddenly grabbed Ed by the wrist, stopping him in his tracks. Ed's eyes were wide as he slowly looked back at Alphonse in surprise.

"Al...?"

The tall suit of armor was silent for a moment, still holding onto Ed's wrist. Then, ever so slowly, Al looked directly into Edward's face. Even though Al didn't have a proper face, there was a pleading look in the red glow that seemed to serve as his eyes.

"Brother... Go."

Ed was stunned. "What? But-"

Al slowly released Edward from his grasp. "I want you to. I know the assignment is silly, but... Who knows? Maybe you can learn something there."

They stood in silence for a long time. Ed lowered his gaze to look at the envelope and papers that were in his hands with a frown. He'd really rather not. Largely because he hated the idea of leaving Al all alone at Central Headquarters.

"Besides," Al went on in a significantly cheerier tone, "I don't think Colonel Mustang will reassign you anyway. He's already made sure that you can't escape."

Ed could only turn a stare on his younger brother. He hated to think it, but maybe Al was right. After all, leads on ways to get their bodies back to normal always did come up in the most strange and unexpected places. He'd still prefer to work _together_ with his brother when it came to that, but...

He shut his eyes and let out a sigh, giving in. He sat back down on the bed and pulled the papers back out. "That's true, huh? Man... I just can't win with you."

Al turned around slowly, what could be assumed to be excitement and surprise in his eyes. "So... you're going?"

With an exasperated sigh, Ed looked at his younger brother and managed a grin. "Not like I have a choice, right? Guess I should make the most out of it, then. I'll learn all that magic stuff in a matter of weeks. And when I come home, I'll teach you."

"That sounds pretty arrogant, Brother," Al laughed.

"Not arrogant," Ed corrected him, a toothy grin on his face. "Confident!"

Al could only sigh in response.

After reading through several long pages about the wizarding world (half of which had been written on long sheets of annoying parchment), Ed came across a very unusual picture. It wasn't particularly strange in terms of what it was a picture of, but the fact that the image was animated like a movie had Ed stunned. He looked at the picture for a while longer, flipping it over once or twice, and then shrugged to himself, ready to move on.

"Hey Al," he called, extending the picture to his younger brother. "Check this out."

Al shut the trunk before he took the photo into his hands and gaped at it. It showed the face of a young teenage boy, probably not much older than Ed. He had platinum blonde hair that was neatly slicked back over his head. The boy merely stood in one place, his grey eyes wandering about an unseen environment. He smirked at the camera before allowing his attention to drift again.

"Wow!" Al exclaimed in awe. "Is this part of their magic?"

"Must be," Ed said with a shrug, frowning a little as he continued to scan over all the paperwork. "I was thinking about transmuting it, but I couldn't figure out what was being used to make the picture move like that..."

"Hmm... So this boy must be...?"

"Yeah," Ed confirmed with a solemn nod. "That's him. The kid I'm supposed to watch. His stupid name is plastered all over these reports."

"So... what _is_ his name, Brother?"

Ed snorted as he flipped to the next page. "Draco Malfoy."


	2. Malfoy Manor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ed and Roy arrive in London. Time to meet Ed's bratty charge.

Roy and Edward had been in Britain for two days now. They spent the entire previous day wandering around London in search of the mysterious "Diagon Alley". The headmaster of Hogwarts had told the colonel that in terms of school supplies, everything would be taken care of. However, there was one thing that Edward would need to get personally, and that was a wand. When Ed first heard this he burst out laughing, but upon noticing the solemnity in Mustang's voice and face he began to violently protest. He complained that having a wand would make him feel like the tooth fairy, and Ed definitely wasn't comfortable with the idea of feeling like something that didn't exist.

Being forced to concede with maintaining his cover, Ed ultimately lost to Colonel Mustang. He was relieved to find that these wands were simply designed; not at all like the thick pink glow sticks with yellow stars on the end that he had pictured. The process of getting a wand must have taken several hours; the old man that owned the store kept handing him a wand and then taking it away almost immediately, tutting under his breath and fretting over seemingly absurd, minor details. It didn't help that Ed was ambidextrous, which turned the answer to a simple request like "raise your wand hand" into a long moment of blank staring.

Ed finally received a wand: ten inches, mahogany with a "demiguise hair" (whatever that was). The owner said something about it being excellent for transfiguration, which only earned him another blank stare from the young blonde. Before Ed could ask the wand maker any suspicious questions, Roy paid the old man and pulled Ed out of the shop.

While they were in Diagon Alley they opted to buy more than a few books on magical theory from the book store. Despite his better judgment over the whole thing, Ed pointed out that he might need to start studying magic from the basics in order to keep up with the lessons at the magic school. Roy thought that it would be near impossible for Ed to catch up in a day, but the diligent and studious habits of the young alchemist could truly prove themselves in this situation. And they did, for Ed spent the remainder of the time they spent in London reading.

He was still reading as they drove to the Malfoy family estate in Wiltshire with their rented car early the next morning. The books he was reading told of abilities that went against everything that he knew to be true; the mere wave of a wand and a verbal command could do any number of things. There seemed to be no trace of equivalent exchange, the founding principle of alchemy. Needless to say, it irritated Edward to no end. Not only that, but Mustang had woken him up at the most ungodly of hours for the sake of the stupid babysitting mission. He couldn't help but be just a little bit grouchier than usual.

"Fullmetal, be on your best behavior," Roy ordered. "Remember, the Malfoy family is-"

"Extremely elitist, high class, and high maintenance," Ed drawled, his nose still buried in his book. "I know, I know."

The colonel snorted at his subordinate's attitude and continued to drive in silence. The entire area that they had entered seemed as though it had been preserved since the renaissance. Lush green trees grew all around the beaten path that they drove on. The grass grew tall, almost as high as the shrubbery and plants. It looked as though no one had maintained the place in a very long time. Roy began to wonder whether or not there really was a manor in this area, but his doubts were quickly pushed away when he caught sight of a grand mansion in the distance.

The house seemed similar to an old Victorian, only more medieval and castle-like. It was positioned at the top of a small slope, standing majestically amongst the backdrop of forest and sky. There were several tall spires on the roof and the rough stone walls were partially overgrown with vines and ivy. A stone balcony overlooked the front yard, and there were many narrow, arched windows lining the walls. The front yard seemed unnecessarily large, being a simple expanse of grass with a stone path leading to the front steps. There were a few statues of intimidating-looking men (probably ancestors of the Malfoy family) positioned in the yard.

Roy came to a stop by the metal gate that led into the yard. He examined the house for a moment before turning off the engine and getting out of the car.

"Fullmetal, put the book away. We're here."

Ed glanced up from the book and gave the colonel an annoyed, tired glare before turning to look at the house. His eyes grew wide in wonder when he saw the sheer size of the place and his jaw dropped visibly. He was too tired to say anything, but his throat managed to squeak out a noise of surprise. Though he'd spent a lot of time in the city since becoming a state alchemist, Ed was still something of a small town country boy at heart. There was no way he could ever get used to seeing the decadent homes of the rich and powerful, and so far this one was taking the cake.

The colonel chuckled softly as he pushed open the gate and began to walk up the stone path. "No dawdling now, Fullmetal. Hurry it up."

Quickly marking the page and shutting his book, Ed pulled himself out of the car and hurried to keep up with Colonel Mustang. "How long am I gonna be on this job?"

"However long it takes."

"Am I ever allowed to leave?"

"No."

"Why not?!"

"Because you never know what will happen or what the Malfoy boy will do."

"Sounds like babysitting, Mustang..."

"It's _not_ , Fullmetal."

Ed glared at Mustang for a moment before turning away with a snort. "I still say you should've gotten the Major to do this. He's better at dealing with kids."

Roy looked amused. "So you admit that you're a kid?"

_'Shit.'_ His golden eyes went wide. That one had slipped out. Probably because of his own exhaustion. "Shut up. You know what I mean."

True enough, Major Armstrong had looked after Edward and Alphonse Elric more than once before, but it wasn't like they were royal pains in the butt. They didn't cause _that_ much trouble. And they definitely weren't kids anymore, as far as Ed was concerned. Al had no problem being treated like a child, but that was mostly because no one treated him that way anymore because of the armor. Ed got it all the time because of his size. And he hated it.

By this time, they had reached the top of the stone steps and were standing in front the main door to Malfoy Manor. Roy used the heavy brass knocker on the door, making a thunderous knock that rumbled throughout the estate. He then cleared his throat and adjusted the tie that he was wearing. He was dressed in an ordinary suit so as not to raise any suspicion. Wearing a foreign military uniform under these circumstances was not the way to approach an elitist aristocratic family such as this. Edward, on the other hand, couldn't have cared less about what they thought and stayed in his usual black outfit and red duster. When the colonel tried to explain to him why doing so might be a bad idea, all he got was a glare and an aggravated, "Stuff it."

"Look alive, Fullmetal," Roy said as they waited at the door.

Though still annoyed and grumpy, Ed tried to force himself into professional mode, but ended up settling with stuffing his hands into his coat pockets. Roy glanced at him and shook his head in disapproval. Ed caught the glance and the scowl on his face grew even sourer.

He was just about to snap at the colonel, but it was at that moment that the front doors opened. Both alchemists turned to face whoever stood in the doorway and were surprised not to see anyone at eye level. Standing where they would have expected to see a human being was instead a small, timid-looking creature with large bat-like ears and huge eyes. It seemed to be dressed in an old, torn-up pillowcase of some kind. The creature stared up at the alchemists in the doorway somewhat fearfully. The alchemists looked back at it in shock, finding themselves unable to do little else.

The creature pulled the door open a little ways more and stepped forward.

"Can the visitors be helped?"

Colonel Mustang pulled himself together as quickly as he could, clearing his throat. "Excuse us. We're here to retrieve Mr. Draco Malfoy. Is he in?"

The small creature's eyes grew wide for a moment. It then lowered its gaze and nodded its head, shuffling backward and heading deeper into the house. Roy looked back at his subordinate and nodded his head, raising a foot to step into the mansion. But before the heel of his shoe could touch the marble stone floor, a bone-chilling shriek escaped the throat of the small creature that opened the door. Roy froze instantly, his eyes wide in surprise.

"I'm sorry, I-"

"Only those of pure blood are to enter the mansion!" it screamed, its voice shrill in horror as though a grave sin had been committed. "Only purebloods! The visitors must to stay outside!"

Ed almost burst out laughing until he realized that this rule applied to him as well. He wasn't sure what a "pureblood" was, but clearly the elitist attitude of the Malfoy family had permeated right through to the house's... servants. Roy slowly withdrew his foot and planted both feet firmly on the stone just outside. This seemed to please the creature, as it immediately stopped yelling. Then, looking shaken as ever, the small creature hurried away into the house, calling the names of its masters. The two state alchemists were left dumbstruck at the front door.

Roy was the first to recover. "Looks like there are creatures that even _you_ can dwarf, Fullmetal."

The young alchemist's blood boiled over. "WHO'RE YOU CALLIN' AN ULTRA HYPER MIDGET?!"

"I never said that..."

It wasn't long before an elegant looking lady with flowing blonde hair with black streaks and pale skin came to the door. She examined Roy and Ed briefly, glancing them once over with her icy blue eyes before speaking.

"And you are...?" she asked coolly, her voice heavy with a British accent.

"Forgive me," Roy said quickly, giving the lady his most dashing smile. "You must be the lady of the house, Narcissa Malfoy. I must say I'm surprised to see you; you're even more beautiful than Dumbledore let on."

The faintest hint of a smile and a soft blush came over the lady's cheeks at the comment. Ed rolled his eyes. He would never understand what Mustang had that so many women seemed to instantly fall in love with. And this? This was just low. The woman was married with a teenage son!

"It is my honor to be able to meet with you, milady. My name is Roy Mustang. You may simply call me Roy."

The lady's smile grew ever so slightly, as did the blush on her cheeks. "The pleasure is all mine. You may call me Narcissa."

Ed wanted nothing more than to gag. The display was a little more disgusting than he was willing to deal with so early in the morning. The colonel was shameless, and the interaction did nothing for Ed's mood. Narcissa clapped her hands briefly, obviously a gesture to summon someone to her side. With a twinkling of lights, another one of the creatures from earlier (a different one, judging by the towel wrapped around its body) appeared a few steps away.

"Yes, madam?"

"Call Draco down to the living room. And bring down his things for school."

The creature bowed low before snapping its fingers and disappearing. It took just about every ounce of control that Ed had not to gape at what just happened. Lady Malfoy turned her attention back to her guests, a slight smile on her lips.

"Forgive the house-elves," she said sweetly, stepping to one side. "Do come in."

Roy smiled. "My thanks."

The colonel gestured for Ed to follow him inside. Screwing up his face in annoyance, Ed slowly followed after his superior officer. He allowed his eyes to drift, examining the house interior. Although it seemed somewhat poorly lit, the place was very richly decorated. The ceiling arched maybe fifty feet over the floor, which seemed to be made of the finest black marble. An exquisite silver chandelier dangled over their heads, the candles burning with a rich green flame that never seemed to burn out. There were two staircases along the circular walls that met in the middle, creating a sort of balcony across from the main doors. Directly to the right and left of the entrance were large arched doorways that led into different rooms. Everything from the floors to the ceiling was either forest green, silver, or black. It made the place seem like a very expensive dungeon.

"I received the owl from Dumbledore," Narcissa said as she led the way to the living room. She glanced back at Edward. "Is that the boy?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact," Roy answered. "This is Edward Elric. He's an exchange student from the school in Germany."

Lady Malfoy's eyebrows arched upward in mild surprise as she looked at the young blonde, considering him. Edward was distracted from the conversation, gazing sternly at his surroundings. His step was considerably slower than those of the adults as he took in everything he saw, thus putting him out of earshot.

"Well, that's a surprise," Lady Malfoy commented as she watched him. "I must say I was expecting someone of a much larger stature."

Ed twitched. He thought he heard someone insult his height.

"Is he really a sixth year, same as my son?"

Roy chuckled softly. "Yes he is, believe it or not. He's actually quite talented in his field, and top of his class. After all, we shouldn't judge a book by its cover."

"I suppose that is true, in some cases," Narcissa laughed. "But not for _my_ son. I don't mean to boast, but my son Draco is a very talented wizard. We have high hopes for him."

"Is that so? Well, you're very fortunate to have such a boy."

The lady's smile grew as she gestured for Roy to seat himself while waiting for Draco to come downstairs as they entered the living room. When Ed trailed in a few moments later, she asked him to take a seat as well, but Ed politely declined. He remained standing, his eyes still wandering about the room.

Another house-elf appeared at the doorway carrying a silver tea-set. It laid the tray down on the coffee table, pouring a cup for Lady Malfoy and another for Roy. The lady reached over and took her cup into her hands and took a small sip. Roy did the same, thanking the house-elf as he did so. He couldn't help but notice Lady Malfoy wrinkle her nose as she looked at Edward, who was still looking around the living room as though he were searching for something.

"So where's the master of the house?" Roy asked, leaning back slightly on the black leather couch. "Don't tell me that a lovely lady such as yourself is tending to this luxurious estate all alone."

Narcissa looked back at Roy, her blue eyes wide in surprise. Ever so slowly, a forlorn look clouded her eyes. She looked down into her teacup as she took another sip.

"He's... not here. My husband, unfortunately... is in prison."

Roy looked down at his teacup for a moment. "Oh... I'm terribly sorry."

The colonel cast a meaningful glance in Edward's direction. The young alchemist just nodded his head once in acknowledgement, then continued his slow, easy walk around the room. It seemed like everything was exactly as it had been reported, then. Though Ed had to admit that he was surprised at how forthcoming the lady of the house was about her husband's situation. Was she simply that trusting? Or was it part of whatever "charm" Roy had over women?

"I worry sometimes that maybe Draco isn't taking it very well," Narcissa went on. "He admired Lucius so much, and I just... He's still so young, and for him to have to take on so much responsibility all of a sudden... I want him to finish his schooling and all that, and... I can't help but worry about him."

Ed froze, his eyes widening a bit as a very vivid image of his own mother flashed in his mind. Slowly, he turned his attention to the conversation, no longer interested in the many pictures that were placed about the living room.

"Why is that?" Mustang asked.

Lady Malfoy didn't raise her eyes. "My son has a tendency to get into trouble. He's much like his father. I worry that he may do something... rash. I just have a bad feeling."

Roy nodded his head slowly, taking another sip of his tea. "I understand."

They moved onto a lighter, slightly more flirtatious topic from there, and Ed immediately checked back out in favor of his explorations. He stopped for a moment to pick up one of the framed pictures, looking at it with a slight frown. It was of a man with long white hair and a pale, pointed face and grey eyes. There was something dignified but pompous about the way he looked grimly at the camera. The infamous father and head of the household, he presumed: Lucius Malfoy himself, the convicted Death Eater. And Draco's role model, if Narcissa was to be believed.

Was this a man really worth admiring, even as he got thrown into what could possibly be _the_ most dangerous prison in the world? Maybe Ed was projecting; he'd spent years scowling at old photos of his own father, covering his face up with whatever he could so he wouldn't have to see him. Looking at this man's solemn face must've reminded him of that, and it irked him beyond all reason. Frown deepening, he put the frame down and continued to look around, jamming his gloved hands back into his coat pockets.

"Are you just going to sit here all day?"

Everyone turned at the young, exasperated voice that came from the doorway to the entrance hall. There, with his arms folded as he leaned against the doorway was a teenage boy dressed in a nicely pressed casual suit. He was very tall; he had to be about six feet. There was an overall pretty boy look to him that rivaled Roy's. He had a pointed, pale face that seemed to be completely flawless. His platinum-blonde hair fell forward in a stylish manner, flopping slightly into his face. He had sharp silver eyes that were currently glaring distrustfully at the dark-haired colonel. His lips were pressed into a tight line, clearly agitated by the presence of these visitors.

As soon as Roy saw him, he placed the teacup on the coffee table and rose to his feet. "You must be Draco. My name is Roy-"

"I couldn't care less what your name is," Draco snapped.

Ed had to grin at the stricken look on Roy's face. He thought maybe he could like this Draco kid. As he walked slowly toward the colonel, the grin was quickly replaced by a horrified frown. Wait. If this tall boy was Draco, then... The kid he was babysitting was _taller than him_? Ed's eyes were wide at the realization. He felt like he had just been squashed like a bug. This was sheer torture.

But it was only the beginning. Just then, Draco eyed the teenager in the red jacket and snorted. "Who's the midget?"

Ed saw red. "WHO'S SO SMALL THAT YOU WANT TO SQUISH HIM LIKE AN ANT?"

He would have sprung himself on the spoiled pretty boy fists first, but Roy had quickly grabbed hold of his collar and successfully managed to hold him back. Both of the Malfoys in the room looked shocked by this, especially since it was the first time Edward had said anything since entering the manor. Roy yanked Edward back before turning to the Malfoys with an apologetic smile on his face.

"I am terribly sorry about that!"

Lady Malfoy looked up at Roy, and returned his smile. "Oh, no. I should be the one to apologize. Draco knows better than to insult someone on the first meeting." She rose to her feet and walked over to her son, placing her hands gently on his shoulders. "Draco, dear. Be nice to these people. They're guests, after all."

The young Malfoy looked bored, rolling his eyes. "Yes, Mother, I know."

In the meantime, Roy pulled Edward to one side, lowering his voice so the Malfoys couldn't hear them. He tried to make it look more like a parent scolding a child or a teacher reprimanding a student rather than an officer to his subordinate.

"Get a hold of yourself, Fullmetal," Mustang hissed. "You have to control your temper. You can't just explode all the time, you'll cause a scene."

Ed growled, glaring daggers at the back of Draco's head. "Causing a scene will be worth it if it means I can sock him in the face!"

"You are _not_ allowed to hit him. You have to stick with this boy. Those are your orders. Which means that you will have to get along somehow. You're not exactly getting off on the right foot here."

"Well, _he_ started it!"

"I don't care who started it. Calm down!"

He dragged his eyes back to the colonel's face, settling his expression into a scowl. He then snorted indignantly, stuffing his hands into his pockets and turning away. "Whatever."

Satisfied with this response (for now), Roy straightened and turned back to the Malfoys with a charming smile. "I do apologize for his behavior, Narcissa. He's just a little hot-headed."

Draco seemed to twitch when he heard this stranger casually call his mother by her first name. Lady Malfoy just laughed softly.

"That's quite alright, Roy." She then turned solemnly to her son. "You remember the message from Dumbledore I told you about?"

"Yeah," Draco muttered. "Some rubbish about an exchange student."

"Yes, well, that's him right there," his mother told him, gesturing toward Edward. The small blonde turned slightly at the mention. "Draco, this is Edward Elric. He's one of the top students from the magic school in Germany. Remember to give him a decent tour of Hogwarts."

Draco looked at Edward with a sneer on his face, sizing him up. Ed glowered back at him, his hands balled into tight fists in his pockets.

"You look a lot older than the picture I saw," Ed muttered at length.

"You're sure that it's not because you can't see this high off the ground?" Draco shot back.

A vein popped out on Ed's forehead. He clenched his fists tighter, doing his best to control his temper even as a low, dangerous growl escaped from his throat. Roy stepped into Ed's path with his arms slightly raised, blocking him. Narcissa scolded her son lightly, then summoned several house-elves and instructed them to take Draco's things to the car outside. The Malfoy heir went ahead, shooting an arrogant smirk back at Edward as he did so.

Lady Malfoy sighed worriedly as she watched him go before turning back to her guests. "Don't mind him. He's just... under some stress, that's all."

She then left the living room and hurried to catch up with her son. Only after Narcissa left did Roy and Ed follow. The fight finally left him and Ed lowered his gaze, staring down at the marble floor with a frown as he walked. Roy glanced back at his subordinate, his eyebrows coming together in confusion.

"Something wrong, Fullmetal?"

Ed shook his head slowly. "It's just that... I was just wondering if... if I ever made _my_ mom worry like that..."

Roy was somewhat surprised to hear such thoughts coming out of the Fullmetal Alchemist. Ed didn't look up to meet his gaze. This whole situation kept making him think of his mother, which was, needless to say, a very sensitive subject. It was so easy to forget that Edward was still practically a child. He had forced himself to grow up so quickly and to take responsibility that he and everyone he knew often overlooked such a simple fact.

The colonel sighed and patted Ed sympathetically on the shoulder. "If that's true... I suppose you could look at this as your chance to make amends."

A pair of golden eyes turned on Mustang in surprise. Colonel Mustang sighed tiredly again and began to walk away.

"Come on. Let's go."

Both state alchemists walked out of Malfoy Manor and headed to the car. Ed watched for a while as the house-elves transported a heavy looking suitcase and some kind of covered bird-cage into the trunk. The Malfoys had settled themselves into the backseat, a large fur coat over Narcissa's shoulders. Draco was staring out the car window, a blank glaze over his grey eyes.

As Ed went around the car to hop into the passenger's seat, he shot Draco a mean look, which he noticed. The blank look on his face was immediately replaced with an annoyed frown as he watched Ed get into the car and pull out a book. Draco's glare shifted targets when Roy got into the driver's seat and cast another charming smile in the direction of his mother. He twitched when he saw the girlish blush on his mother's face and he turned his attention back outside.

A few moments later, they were on their way back to London, to King's Cross Station. Roy and Narcissa made small talk the entire ride, practically flirting, which made both teenagers roll their eyes in disgust. Ed did his best to bury himself into his thoughts and the book he was reading, but the occasional outbursts of laughter from both adults was beyond irritating. He must have read the same line about fifteen times at one point. Eventually, Ed successfully shut himself down to the outside world and actually managed to read through several more books.

They arrived at King's Cross Station in good time and Narcissa complimented Roy's superb sense of direction. Roy merely laughed back, saying that he had been lucky this time. Ed smirked inwardly. He knew that Mustang had studied the maps of London the night before and had probably memorized every possible route to the station. Everyone then filed out of the car, grabbed their things, and took them into the station. Roy offered to carry Draco's things for them as they made their way to platform 9 ¾, another one of Roy Mustang's brown nosing tactics. Anyone else might have been impressed by them, but Ed was just annoyed. Clearly, so was Draco as he immediately snatched his things back, muttering angrily that he could do it himself.

Platform 9 ¾ had been a little trick that Ed instantly despised. Running through the barrier between platforms 9 and 10? He would never have believed it if he hadn't seen several groups of people pass through ahead of him. When it was Ed's turn to run at the barrier, he took a deep breath and charged forward, closing his eyes and bracing himself for a rough impact. He was shocked to find himself in front of a large scarlet train that had "Hogwarts Express" embossed on its shiny surface when he opened his eyes. He never hit any wall. Ed looked around him and finally saw a large sign that read "Platform 9 ¾." He shook his head and trudged over to the train to keep up with Mustang and the Malfoys.

Draco nonchalantly said goodbye to his mother before boarding the train. Just as he was getting on, he shot one last rude look at Roy. When Roy finally noticed, the Malfoy heir narrowed his eyes and leaned toward him slightly.

"Touch my mother and die," he hissed into Roy's ear.

The colonel blinked, feigning innocence. "I'm not sure I know what you mean."

Young Draco Malfoy was not convinced and his gaze only turned icier as he slowly boarded the train. Of course, Ed had noticed what happened and immediately decided that he didn't care. In fact, he sort of hoped that Roy _did_ do something to Narcissa, just to have Draco do some kind of horrible curse or whatever on the colonel. Before Ed could get on, Mustang caught him by the wrist and held him back for a moment. Ed narrowed his eyes.

"What now?"

"Remember to send a report every other week," the colonel said in a low voice. "I'll send you an owl of your own so that you can keep in touch."

Ed nodded firmly. "Got it."

"And also... Don't forget your mission. Keep an eye on the Malfoy boy, and if he does anything out of the ordinary be sure to include it in your report. If necessary, you may speak directly to Dumbledore, the headmaster."

He nodded again, starting to get annoyed. "Anything else?" he muttered.

Colonel Mustang looked thoughtful for a moment. "Try not to get yourself killed. You're already enough of a pain without the paperwork."

Ed rolled his eyes and wrenched his arm away from his grasp. "Fine. There's no way I'd die before you anyway, you morally corrupt colonel with a god complex."

Roy was about to berate him for being disrespectful to a superior officer, but Ed had got on the train before he had the chance.

For a moment, Ed was worried that he wouldn't be able to find Draco now that he had slipped out of sight. Fortunately for him, the white-blonde had been stopped by a group of snobby looking people. Ed sighed in exasperation and grudgingly moved to join them.

Another fortunate thing: the snobs seemed to accept him into their little group. Draco gave him an annoyed sideways glance as he came up, but the pug-faced brunette girl that was clinging to his arm smiled slightly in Ed's direction. Her reason for doing so was completely beyond his understanding. One of the boys in the group, a tall black boy with high cheekbones and long, slanting eyes, made a comment about the symbol on the back of Ed's jacket. It apparently contributed to the mutual acceptance. Ed wasn't sure why the flamel (a cross with a snake wrapped about it and a winged crown) would put them at so much ease. If anything, he had expected it to cause a fuss and raise suspicion. Strange.

After they all introduced themselves, they walked down the corridor in search of a private compartment. Ed already knew that he wouldn't like these people, but he hid his disgust very well. On the way, two other teenagers squeezed past them, a girl with bushy light-brown hair and a red-headed boy with freckles. Everyone suddenly fell silent and glared, some of them casting expectant looks at Draco. Clearly, Malfoy was their little leader. Ed couldn't help but notice the daggers that Draco and the red-head were glaring at one another. However, there seemed to be a slight change in his grey eyes when Draco looked at the girl. Ed couldn't quite put a finger on it. After a moment, Draco snorted and threw a rude hand gesture at the teenagers as they passed. The red-head looked mildly confused, but he and the girl continued on their way regardless.

As soon as they found a compartment, they settled in as though it were their own house. The chubby boy with the stupid face and the one with the pudding-bowl haircut (Ed had already forgotten their names out of disinterest) sat next to each other on one bench. The black boy with high cheekbones shoved them to the side, making room for himself. Ed seated himself by the window on the opposite bench and the brunette girl sat next to him, which didn't fail to make Ed uncomfortable. Draco stretched himself out on the same bench, placing his head in the girl's lap as Ed was shoved against the window. The girl looked down into Draco's face somewhat affectionately, stroking his hair.

Ed grimaced as he adjusted himself in the seat, trying to find a way to remain comfortable while the royal pain in the ass stretched out as though he were on a bed. He was lucky to be so small. Ed's eye twitched when he realized what he admitted to himself. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration, wanting to scream.

 

The Hogwarts Express started to pull out of the station. Hundreds of parents and assorted family members waved goodbye to their children. Among them was Narcissa Malfoy, intently watching the train as it pulled away, clouds of white steam billowing out of its chimney. Standing next to her was Roy Mustang, a solemn expression on his face. He stood out amongst the tear streaked faces of the other parents as they frantically waved goodbye to their children for the year.

It wasn't long before the train pulled out of sight and the crowd of loving parents began to dissipate. Narcissa sighed and turned to go, Roy at her side. As soon as they both got into the car, Roy turned in his seat to look at the lovely Lady Malfoy.

"So where can I take you for some tea?" he asked with another dashing smile.

Narcissa smiled.

 

 


	3. The Serpent Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edward gets acquainted with all of his new best friends. Joy.

 

Edward Elric was still pissed.

He couldn't be bothered to keep track of how long they had been on this stupid train. The Zabini kid had been called away by some professor a while ago and still hadn't come back. Draco and one of the dim-looking boys were inventing theories as to why any Hogwarts professor would want to talk to Zabini of all people.

Their conversation made it easier for Ed to remember their names. Thanks to that professor, he now knew that Blaise Zabini was the tall black boy. He had also caught the names Crabbe and Goyle which obviously belonged to the idiot duo, but he wasn't sure which one was which.

The girl next to him, Pansy Parkin-something or other, had been trying to talk to Ed for quite a while now. Every now and again she'd stop stroking Draco's hair and fiddle with Ed's braid, which only added to his foul mood. It was getting  _sorely_ tempting to punch her square in the face, except that probably wouldn't win him any favors with the group. As far as he knew, anyway. The last thing Ed wanted to do was to have a conversation with any of these people. He had answered all of her questions so far with a glare and was constantly swiping her hand away, but that obviously wasn't deterring her. It was becoming clear that she wouldn't stop until he gave her a straight answer.

"You've got  _really_ beautiful hair," she cooed, trying for the thousandth time to brush some of his bangs back. "Wouldn't you say Eddy has beautiful hair, Drakey?"

His eyes went wide as he stared out the train window. For one thing, why on earth would Draco give a damn about something like that? And for another... "Eddy"?! Had she just seriously called him "Eddy"?! There wasn't a single soul in the world - no, in the _universe_ \- that called him "Eddy", and he wasn't about to let this annoying socialite start. He slowly turned his head to look at her, anger and hatred in his amber-gold eyes.

"Don't." He was practically growling. " _Don't_ call me that."

Pansy just smirked slightly. Ed blinked at the expression on her face. He didn't think he was going to like this.

"Oh, alright then. So where are you from, Eddy?"

Ed's eye twitched. "Hey! What did I just say?!"

"You don't sound like you're from anywhere nearby. Your accent, I mean."

He realized now why she was smirking. Pansy had successfully gotten a response out of him, and now he would be obligated to start talking. All eyes were suddenly on him, except for Draco's since he didn't care. Ed just looked at them all, somewhat horrified that he had been tricked into becoming an active participant here. Not for the first time, he wished that his little brother was with him. Al was the one who could deal with frustrating people like them. It was all Ed could do to keep himself from exploding. Left with no choice but to say something, Ed took a deep breath and picked his words carefully.

"I'm, uh..." What did Mustang say? "I came from the magic school in Germany."

"Really? But you don't quite sound German, either."

Ed laughed nervously. "Yeah, well... I grew up in Amestris."

One of the idiots looked confused. "Where's Amestris?"

He had to think about that one. Ed himself wasn't quite sure where Amestris was in relation to Great Britain. "It's... kinda far away from here."

Now Draco decided to speak up, his eyes shut as Pansy continued to stroke his hair. "You're awful short for a sixth year."

Ed twitched. His hand balled into a fist. He had to control himself. He had a mission to complete. If he exploded and blew the whole thing, not only would he be screwed by the military, he'd have Alphonse to deal with. 

"Sixth year?" Pansy echoed in surprise. "I thought he was a first year!"

_Die._

"No, he's a sixth year, Pans, same as us. He's just a little 'vertically challenged.'"

_In._

Crabbe/Goyle laughed. "That's really weird! He’s just a little guy!"

_A fire._

Pansy turned back to Ed, who was doubled over as though he had been punched in the gut. He was clenching his fist so tight that the material on his glove looked like it was about to rip. They would rue the day they crossed Edward Elric. Yes, as soon as this mission was over…

"So you're an exchange student? Do you know what house you're in?"

He looked back up. "House?"

"You don't even know about the houses?" Pansy asked in shock, her voice dripping with disdain. "How did you even get _accepted_ to Hogwarts?"

It was official. Ed _really_ didn't like these people. But if they were Draco's friends, he was going to have to endure them. This mission was officially the worst one he had ever been on.

"That annoying Mustang guy said something about him being talented," Draco said dryly. "But I wouldn't put any value into that wanker's words."

Hearing that made Ed grumble bitterly to himself. Normally, he'd be agreeing with the wizard on that point. But _Edward_ was the one that the colonel had been talking about. Sure, he'd bent the truth a little to suit the situation, but the point still stood. 

Pansy let out a long-sufferng sigh, as though the words she was about to utter gave her actual, physical pain. "There are four houses at Hogwarts: Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Gryffindor."

Ed nodded his head as he listened and the information sank in. He remembered seeing those terms somewhere in that thick file he'd been given. He hadn't known what they'd meant or to make of them at the time and had let the information slip through the cracks. Clearly they were more than just gibberish. He'd have to revisit all the other seemingly nonsense words he'd glazed over.

"Ravenclaw is full of swots and Hufflepuffs are all just oddballs," said the Crabbe/Goyle with the comic book.

"Gryffindor's the worst," Draco drawled, his voice heavy with disgust. "Everyone in there is a total goody-goody, like Potty and his band of merry losers. And the place is _crawling_ with filthy blood traitors. It's a disgrace."

Ed nodded again. "So I guess you guys are all...?"

"Slytherin," the entire group said proudly in unison.

"I sure hope you get into Slytherin, Eddy," Pansy said, extending a hand to push Ed's bangs out of his eyes. "Really, Slytherin is the only way to go to Hogwarts."

The young alchemist glared, moving his head to avoid Pansy's hand - "I told you not to call me that." - then turned to look out the window with a slight huff. He knew that everything had probably been arranged for him to be wherever Draco was. It was frustrating and annoying, but all of this had to have been planned to the last detail in order for the mission to succeed. Being housed with these elitist freaks was going to make him rot from the inside.

"I reckon he will," Crabbe/Goyle told Pansy. "Remember the symbol with the snake on his coat that Zabini pointed out? That's a sign of it right there!"

This seemed to raise their spirits a little and they began to congratulate him. The _snake_. That explained a thing or two. The animal was probably some kind of symbol for their house, since they were called "Slytherin." How creative. How cute. Ed flashed them a fake smile before turning his attention back out the window

Just then, the door to the compartment clattered open. Everyone's eyes moved to the doorway as the Zabini kid tumbled inside, toppling over sideways into either Goyle or Crabbe's lap. Whichever one of them it was, he was definitely not happy.

"Geroffa me, you wanker!" he snarled.

Zabini snarled back, and then he and the idiot were snarling into each other's faces. Draco raised himself slightly with a shout as Pansy merely rolled her eyes. Ed snickered to himself, partly amused by the display. Then suddenly, he noticed something flash through the air. His eyes widened for a moment. He thought he saw something white - part of a shoe, maybe? - whip upward and then vanish.

Whichever idiot had ended up with Zabini in his lap slammed the compartment door shut and flung the boy off of him. Zabini pulled himself back up and collapsed into his seat looking ruffled. The other idiot returned to his comic, which he had abandoned briefly after the conversation with Ed had started. Draco laid back down into Pansy's lap, allowing the brunette to continue stroking the sleek blonde hair from his forehead. Ed continued to stare out the window, his thoughts lingering on that piece of shoe he had seen fly through the air. He couldn't help but wonder what it could have been. It had to have been some kind of hallucination.

"So, Zabini," said Draco, in a voice that seemed forcibly casual and nonchalant, "what did Slughorn want?"

"Just trying to make up to well-connected people," Zabini replied, still glowering at the idiot he had been having the snarling contest with earlier. "Not that he managed to find many."

A sour look marred Draco's features. He clearly wasn't pleased with this information.

"Who else had he invited?" he demanded.

"McLaggen from Gryffindor..."

Malfoy looked thoughtful. "Oh yeah, his uncle's big in the Ministry."

"Someone else called Belby, from Ravenclaw..."

Pansy suddenly looked offended. "Not him, he's a prat!"

"And Longbottom, Potter, and that Weasley girl."

At this, Draco sat up very suddenly, knocking Pansy's hand aside. "He invited _Longbottom_?"

"Well, I assume so, as Longbottom was there," said Zabini indifferently.

"What's Longbottom got to interest Slughorn?"

Zabini just shrugged, leaning back into his seat casually. Ed hadn't recognized any of the names, nor did he really care, but he kept listening. Part of spy work was sifting through the useless information for something of value, after all. There could be something worth filing away for later in the midst of what was otherwise idle gossip.

Besides, what _else_ was he supposed to do?

Draco sneered. "Potter, precious Potter, obviously he wanted a look at 'the Chosen One.'"

Ed's eyebrows came together. "Potter"? "The Chosen One"? Both of those terms were familiar, obviously from somewhere within his readings, but he couldn't place it exactly. He was going to have to take another look at those files once they arrived at the school.

"But that Weasley girl! What's so special about her?"

"A lot of boys like her," Pansy said, watching Draco out of the corner of her eye for his reaction. "Even _you_ think she's good looking, don't you, Blaise? And we all know how hard you are to please!"

Zabini scoffed. "I wouldn't touch a filthy blood traitor like her whatever she looked like," he said coldly.

Pansy looked pleased with Zabini's answer. Draco then sank back across her lap and she once again ran her fingers through his hair.

"Well, I pity Slughorn's taste," Draco muttered. "Maybe he's going a bit senile. Shame, my father always said he was a good wizard in his day. My father used to be a bit of a favorite of his."

Ed had to roll his eyes. What was with this kid and his father? Narcissa had mentioned something about how Draco admired his father a lot, but _this_ was just plain ridiculous.

"Slughorn probably hasn't heard I'm on the train, or-"

"I wouldn't bank on an invitation," said Zabini. "He asked me about Nott's father when I first arrived. They used to be old friends, apparently, but when he heard he'd been caught at the Ministry he didn't look too happy, and Nott didn't get an invitation, did he? I don't think Slughorn's interested in Death Eaters."

Malfoy suddenly looked very angry, but managed to force out a humorless laugh.

"Well, who cares who he's interested in? What is he, when you come down to it? Just some stupid teacher." He yawned ostentatiously. "I mean, I might not even be at Hogwarts next year. What's it matter to me if some fat old has-been likes me or not?"

Here Ed turned slightly so that he could see Draco out of the corner of his eye. What did he mean by that? Back at the manor, Narcissa said that she wanted Draco to finish school. She had said it so worriedly that clearly education for her son was high on the priority list. There was no apparent reason for Draco to not return to school next year...

Pansy suddenly looked horrified, pulling her hands away from Draco's hair at once. "What do you mean, you might not be at Hogwarts next year?" she asked him indignantly.

"Well, you never know," said Draco with the ghost of a smirk on his face. "I might have... er... moved on to bigger and better things."

Ed looked over at Draco, still somewhat confused. What was he talking about now? Did this have anything to do with that Lord Voldemort guy? He stared at Malfoy for a moment as though he could find the answers to his questions written on that smug pretty boy face of his. He had to admit that he hadn't been expecting to hear anything like this so soon. Did Draco really think so little of his presence that he was okay with saying something like that in front of him?

The two idiots were gawking at their little ring leader; apparently they hadn't even been thinking about moving on to bigger or better things. Ed laughed inwardly. They probably couldn't even imagine living the next few days without Draco around. Zabini had also allowed a look of curiosity to mar his haughty features. Ever so slowly, Pansy resumed stroking Draco's hair, dumbfounded.

"Do you mean... _Him_?"

Ed's eyes darted from face to face, keeping his own expression steely as though he found the subject boring. "Him"? Did he know what that meant?

Draco shrugged. "Mother wants me to complete my education, but personally, I don't see it as that important these days. I mean think about it... When the Dark Lord takes over, is he going to care how many O.W.L.s or N.E.W.T.s anyone's got? Of course he isn't..."

A small wave of relief washed over Ed. He _did_ know who they were talking about. And this conversation was undeniably interesting. It was exactly what he needed to know! With any luck, Draco would reveal everything right there and then. Then Ed could go home nice and early to resume his search for a way to restore Al. And to be able to just sit here and listen to them talk about this kind of thing without a care in the world... They'd accepted Edward into their evil little circle so easily it was really almost insulting.

"It'll be all about the kind of service he received, the level of devotion he was shown."

"And you think _you'll_ be able to do something for him?" asked Zabini scathingly. "Sixteen years old and not even fully qualified yet?"

"I've just said, haven't I?" Draco snapped. "Maybe he doesn't care if I'm qualified." Then his voice suddenly became very quiet. "Maybe the job he wants me to do isn't something that you need to be qualified for."

Then he stopped talking, leaving his cronies in a state of surprise and shock. Pansy was looking at him as though she had never seen anything so awe-inspiring. Ed, on the other hand, mentally cursed his luck. Typical. Draco hadn't revealed everything he knew about Voldemort. But on the bright side, Ed knew that they were on the right track. It was obvious that Draco Malfoy was a definite lead.

"I can see Hogwarts," Malfoy said, pointing out of the blackened window. It was apparent by the look on his face that he had enjoyed the effect he had created. "We'd better get our robes on."

Everyone in the compartment stood and reached for their trunks that had been placed in the overhead compartments. Somebody's trunk seemed to hit something as they swung it down and what sounded like a pained gasp was heard. Both Ed and Draco glanced up at the luggage rack, frowning. After a while, Draco seemed to dismiss it as his own imagination and continued to pull on his robes like everyone else. Ed continued to stare in the direction it had come from, searching the luggage rack for anything out of place. Only when he didn't find anything did he look back out the window.

Apparently, what Draco had referred to as their "robes" was some kind of Hogwarts school code for "uniform"; one word that Ed had never liked to hear. He narrowed his eyes disapprovingly at the large black robes that everyone in the compartment had pulled on. They gave Ed strange looks when he never got up to change and remained in his usual outfit. He promptly ignored them and kept his eyes fixated on what was outside of the train. Edward Elric didn't wear uniforms. Ever.

It wasn't long before the train came to a stop. Crabbe/Goyle threw the door open and muscled his way out into a crowd of younger students. He punched a few of them aside, making way for the rest of their little Slytherin gang as they hurried to get off the train. Ed slung his trunk over one shoulder, cursing how heavy it was. He probably shouldn't have bought so many books. They practically filled his trunk to full capacity, leaving very little room for his auto-mail maintenance kit or much of anything else. He'd been forced to buy another trunk for his clothes, even though he didn't have much to fill it.

Ed got out of the private compartment with Pansy just behind him. She stopped at the doorway and turned to look at Draco, holding one hand toward him as though hoping he would take it.

"You go on," Draco told her. "I just want to check something."

Pansy looked a little disappointed to hear him say that. She glanced at Ed then slowly turned on her heel to follow everyone else off the train. Ed watched her go for a moment and was just about to follow her when he noticed Draco shut the compartment door. He froze, turning to look at the door suspiciously. The Malfoy kid might have been able to shoo Pansy away, but there was no way he was fooling Ed.

Once he was sure that they'd all moved out of sight, he slipped into the next compartment, shutting the door behind him. Ed seated himself on the bench that shared a wall with the Slytherin room. He clapped his hands together and pressed them against the wall, hoping that whatever answered the prayers of atheists would allow the blue light of his transmutation to go unnoticed.

Having made a nice little peep hole through the wall that would allow him to both see and hear what was going on, Ed grinned at his own genius. He then made himself comfortable as he played his little spy game.

His eyes went wide when he saw what was going on. Lying on the floor, frozen into a very uncomfortable looking position, was another teenage boy. He had dark, messy hair and wore a pair of round glasses. And Ed couldn't be sure, but he thought he saw a lightning shaped scar somewhere on his forehead. The boy could do nothing but stare up at Draco, who just smiled broadly at him as he lay helpless on the floor.

"I thought so," Draco said jubilantly. "I heard Goyle's trunk hit you. And I thought I saw something white flash through the air after Zabini came back..."

So Ed hadn't been hallucinating after all! He looked the boy on the floor once over and noticed his white trainer shoes. So this kid had been spying on them? Ed smiled to himself, amused by his unwavering bravery. It took guts to crawl up into the luggage compartment in a room full of enemies, just to get a little bit of information. Yes, Ed understood that kind of situation very well.

"You didn't hear anything I care about, Potter," Draco continued, sounding somewhat bored. "But while I've got you here..."

Suddenly, Draco's foot descended, hard, on the poor kid's face. Ed winced when he heard the sound of cartilage cracking and blood spurted across the floor. A hateful look could be seen on Draco's face as he looked at his enemy.

"That's from my father. Now, let's see..."

He looked about his surroundings for a moment, then finally dragged a cloak out from under the boy's paralyzed body and threw it over him. Ed gasped when he saw the figure of the kid disappear beneath the cloak. Malfoy chuckled softly.

"I don't reckon they'll find you till the train's back in London," he said quietly. "See you around, Potter... or not."

Draco laughed softly again as he exited the compartment. Ed could have sworn that he purposely stepped on the kid as he left. As soon as the door to the compartment shut behind Draco, Ed clapped his hands again and fixed the holes he had made in the wall. Grabbing hold of his trunk, Ed headed into the compartment where the kid had been left behind.

Ed stood in the doorway for a moment, not wanting to step on the spy by accident. Looking both ways down the corridor as he dropped his trunk, he knelt down and carefully felt around on the floor for the cloak that Draco had laid over him. As soon as he felt it beneath his gloved fingers, Ed yanked the cloth away, revealing the paralyzed dark-haired kid underneath. After examining the cloak briefly, Ed tossed it to one side and moved around to look the boy once over.

"Damn," Ed muttered, wincing sympathetically at the sight of the boy's broken nose. "That was a pretty harsh thing to do."

He then went back to his trunk and pulled out a book of spells. As much as he hated to admit it, alchemy wasn't going to help him here. He grabbed his wand (which he had simply stuffed into his trunk) and sat back down on the floor near the boy. Ed scanned through the pages for some kind of reversing spell that he could use. The boy on the floor seemed to be giving Ed a strange look.

"Hey, back off," Ed snapped when he noticed. "I'm an exchange student. I'm new at this stuff."

Were he able to, the kid would have rolled his eyes as Ed continued to scan through the pages. After a moment, he found the spell he was looking for. He gulped as he readied his wand in his left hand and hoped that he would succeed as he cast the counter spell listed in the book. With a flash of light, the boy suddenly slumped to the floor, no longer completely immobilized. He groaned and spat out some blood as he tried to steady himself. Ed examined his wand for a moment, confused by how easily he had succeeded with that spell, then put his book and wand to one side to help the kid sit up. This wasn't the time to get fully absorbed into his own thoughts.

"At least it's a clean break." He reached for a handkerchief that Al had packed into his suitcase and offered it to the kid. "Here, for the bleeding. We're gonna need to find someone to bring you to a doctor and have yo--"

The boy cut him off gently as he accepted the handkerchief, raising his free hand slightly to stop him before he finished. "Eh… pis… Epis… key…"

"Huh?"

"E-Episkey," he murmured softly, gingerly pressing the handkerchief to his nose and wiping some blood away. "It’s a spell…"

With a confused frown, Ed reached back, taking his wand in hand and quickly thumbing through the book for "episkey." He cast it as soon as he knew how, and was amazed to see that the boy's nose was no longer broken. Ed gaped at his wand for a moment before packing it away, partly frustrated that he had no idea how the fool thing actually worked.

"How'd you know...?" He stopped himself quickly with a shake of his head. "No, never mind. I'm better off not asking..."

That seemed to make the boy chuckle a bit as he wiped some more blood from his nose and face. But then, as he adjusted his cracked glasses on his now-fixed nose, he turned his own look of confusion and surprise on Edward.

"Why did you help me? I thought you were one of Malfoy's friends."

"Huh?" Ed blinked. He definitely wouldn't consider himself one of Draco's friends, but... he had a cover to maintain. "Well, yeah, but... I couldn't just _leave_ you there, could I?"

The boy just stared at him, his green eyes wide. He then laughed softly. "You're not at all like the rest of his lackeys," he said. "I'm Harry Potter."

"Edward Elric," Ed said with a smile. "Call me Ed."

For a moment Harry looked confused, but he quickly laughed it off. This in turn confused Ed.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing," Harry laughed, shaking his head in dismissal.

Just then, someone could be heard running up and down the corridor. "Mr. Elric! Mr. Elric, are you here?"

That definitely wasn't anything that Ed had been expecting to hear. He rose to his feet with a frown and moved into the doorway, poking his head out into the corridor, his eyes wide in surprise. Further down the way, looking thoroughly confused and stressed out, was a young woman with short, mousy brown hair. She had a pale, heart-shaped face that was currently distorted by stress as she spun around several times in place, running her hands through her hair.

"Edward Elric!" she called out, clearly exasperated.

"Yeah?"

The young woman whirled around to see where the voice had come from and then quickly jogged down the hall to reach him. She stopped a few feet away to catch her breath.

"You're Edward Elric?"

"The one and only." Ed's frown deepened slightly. "Who're you?"

She looked him once over, a confused look on her face. Ed could practically see into her head. He knew that she thought he was too small to be the person she was looking for, just like everyone else did whenever they first met him. He clenched his right hand into a fist, preparing himself to defend his honor.

"Wow, I thought that you would be a professor or something, but... Oh well."

It wasn't a remark about his height, but he was still somewhat offended to hear that he had been mistaken for an old guy. She smiled at the baffled look on his face.

"Right, then. Well, Tonks is the name, and I’ve got a message for you. You have to go find Professor McGonagall right away and she'll take you up to see the headmaster."

Ed nodded in response. He picked up his trunk and headed for the nearest exit, the Tonks girl not far behind him. Just then, Harry stepped out of the compartment, wiping the blood from his face. As soon as he and Tonks saw each other, they began talking in low tones. Edward wondered for a moment what they were saying to each other, but quickly shrugged it off. What had Tonks told him to do? Look for someone named McGonagall, right? That seemed easy enough, but sooner or later he'd have to catch up to Draco again. He was supposed to be his main concern after all, and Ed had already gotten separated from him.

As soon as he remembered this, Ed slipped back into his foul mood. After what he had just seen, he wasn't up to pretending to try to be friends with Draco. He was going to have to deal with it, though. That was his job.

He'd never hated his job more.

 


	4. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to school.

When they had been simple words, finding one person to take him to the school's headmaster had seemed like an easy enough task. Once the process of finding that person actually began, it became a much more complicated matter. There were simply far too many people on the platform, all of them weaving through the crowd as they searched for familiar faces or headed toward the giant man near the lake who was yelling for the first years to gather. Ed was starting to think that finding that one person was impossible, and now he couldn't remember if this person was a man or a woman.

He was beginning to get desperate and frustrated with his situation. And that's when he saw them. Ed immediately stopped walking, his gaze and attention completely caught. Rigged up to several carriages that seemed to be taking the students to the school were some of the ugliest chimeras Ed had ever seen. They looked like skeletal black horses with huge bat wings. Ed's eyes grew wide, not quite sure what to think of the beasts. A part of him was absolutely horrified and frightened, while another part was simply awestruck.

"Mr. Elric?" a sharp voice cried out over the crowd. "Mr. Edward El - oh, pardon me - Edward Elric?"

The sound of his name pulled Ed's attention away from the creatures and he spun in place looking for who had called him. He cursed his inability to see over the heads of the students. Wishing that Al were with him for umpteenth time that day, Ed put his trunk on the ground and carefully stepped on top of it. This raised him a little less than two feet off the ground and gave Ed a wonderfully high view over the heads of the crowd. But it was just like Edward's luck that as soon as he had raised himself up, the crowd thinned as most of the students boarded either the boats or the carriages. Standing on top of his trunk was no longer necessary.

Now that the crowd was significantly thinner, Edward managed to find the person who had been calling his name. Walking purposefully through the crowd was a lady in emerald green robes and a black hat that could have come straight out of a child's picture book about witches. She had a prim look on her face as she searched among the remaining students through the square-framed glasses that were perched on the bridge of her long, pointed nose. Ed knew just by looking at her that she was a teacher, and, if stereotypes meant anything at all, a strict one at that.

She froze when she spotted Edward. She looked down at a slip of parchment that was in her hand, read it carefully, and then looked back at Ed. Then, apparently making up her mind, she put the parchment away and marched quickly and dutifully toward him. Ed wasn't quite sure what he should do. All his life he'd had bad luck with teachers. He didn't think he would be able to handle another teacher like his last one. He considered making a run for it, but first of all there was nowhere to run _to,_  to say nothing of the fact that she'd already spotted him. Escape was futile. There was nothing he could do.

The lady stopped when she reached Edward, looking up into his face. She screwed up her beady eyes as she scrutinized him, studying the features of his face.

"Mr. Edward Elric, I presume?"

Ed gulped. It was glaringly obvious that this lady meant business. "Y-Yes, that's me. Um... Professor... McGonagall...?"

She nodded in response, still watching him carefully.

"Well, you meet the physical description, alright," she said softly.

Her gaze dropped slightly so that she was looking at Ed's feet. She looked somewhat annoyed when she noticed he was standing on top of his trunk. Some part of him was embarrassed to have been caught using his trunk to gain some height, but another part of him was proud that even for just a brief moment, he was taller than someone on the first meeting. After a moment the professor backed away, adjusted her glasses and turned on her heel.

"Get down off that trunk right this instant and come with me," she ordered.

"Y-Yes ma'am!"

He almost saluted the professor but quickly fought the urge. Ed hopped down from the top of his trunk, picked it up with both hands, and hurried to catch up with Professor McGonagall. He was about to ask her a question as he approached her, but she spoke before he could utter a word.

"So you are the exchange student that Professor Dumbledore told me about?"

Ed was so surprised that he completely forgot his question. "Oh, uh... Yes. I-"

"What are you doing carrying that trunk around?"

"I... What?"

The professor pointed to the trunk in Ed's hands. "Leave it with the rest of the luggage. The house-elves will take care of it after the feast."

"Oh, right."

Professor McGonagall shook her head in dismay while Ed hurried off to leave his trunk with all the other students' things and come back. The initial shock of meeting such a stern professor was starting to wear off. Ed decided that he didn't quite like this lady, what with her solemnity and sharp manner of speech. When he rejoined her, he noticed that she was getting into one of the carriages that were being pulled by the ugly chimera beasts. He frowned and gave the creatures a wary look.

"Can you see them?" Professor McGonagall asked suddenly.

Ed spun around to look at the professor in a mix of surprise and confusion, his hair whipping into his face. "Yes, of course I can."

The professor looked shocked. "Oh."

"Why? What _are_ those things?"

"They're thestrals. Only those who have..." She let her voice trail off and shook her head. "Never mind that. Now get in, get in. We've got to hurry. I still have to attend to the first years."

More confused now than ever, Edward was quickly ushered into the carriage and he took his seat by the window. As soon as the professor shut the door, the carriage lurched forward.

The professor remained silent throughout the ride. Every now and then she cast a few funny glances in Ed's direction, which he promptly chose to ignore as he stared out the window. Ed had to admit that the area the school was situated in was beautiful. There didn't seem to be any cities or towns nearby, and the lush green forest seemed to go on forever, only disappearing beneath a heavy, distant fog. He couldn't see straight ahead so he wouldn't know when they were approaching Hogwarts, but he didn't mind at all. The scenery kept him satisfied and, for the first time in a good while, peaceful.

Eventually, the carriage rattled to a halt and its passengers quickly filed out. Professor McGonagall moved quickly as she led the way into the school. Ed's step was considerably slower from hesitation at first, and then surprise. Because two things happened as he disembarked: First, he'd been disappointed. He got out of the carriage and found himself faced with what looked castle ruins, complete with a fence and yellow taped that barred entry. And then he'd blinked once or twice, the image before him seemed suddenly to blur, and then suddenly settled into something else entirely.

He had seen a few images of what the school looked like in the file (elaborate and beautiful sketches of a castle atop a cliff overlooking a lake, since normal cameras apparently didn't seem to work) but nothing could have prepared Ed for the real thing. The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was a huge, rambling castle with a jumble of towers and battlements. Its mere size was daunting, and there was something almost frightening about the castle's overall look. It seemed like something out of an old Dracula movie. As Ed continued to look at the place, he began to notice that the castle should have been physically impossible to build. According to basic laws of nature and physics, Hogwarts Castle should not have been able to stand. And yet there it was, right before his very eyes. It must have had something to do with magic. As strange as it sounded, magic was the only logical solution.

Ed hurried to keep up with the professor, shaking his head slowly. He was rather disappointed in himself. He was actually starting to believe this magic stuff! There had simply been too many confrontations with it already that there was very little room to deny its existence. Which was a frustrating thought, really. Ed brought his gaze up to the castle in front of him, which had just moments ago looked to him like ruins. And then he looked down at his left hand, recalling when he had used those spells on that Harry Potter boy. 

He had actually used magic. _Real_ magic. And even more surprisingly, the spells he used had worked! But it still made no sense whatsoever. Ed couldn't make heads or tails of what exactly it was that he did to make the spells work. What had happened to the principle of equivalent exchange? He refused to believe that there was no such thing, even when it came to magic. Otherwise, why had so much been taken away from him and Al?

Professor McGonagall hurriedly led Edward into the grand castle and took him down several large, open hallways and up several sets of stairs. Ed was so distracted with his own thoughts that he hardly noticed his surroundings. Which was probably lucky; If Ed had taken any notice of anything at all, he would have stopped on several occasions to gawk at the castle's decorations. This would have slowed things down for the professor quite a bit, and she seemed to be in quite a hurry. She gave the password to a stone gargoyle and waited patiently for it to move to one side and allow them through. Professor McGonagall then turned to Edward, gesturing to the stairs that had been revealed.

"Up these steps you'll find the headmaster," she informed him.

Ed's head snapped forward, pulling him out of his daze. He looked at the revealed staircase in shock, not knowing at all how he had gotten to where he was. Professor McGonagall pressed her lips into a tight line, looking up and down the corridor.

"Well, I'll have to leave you here then, Mr. Elric," she said with a nod of her head. "If you'll please excuse me, I must attend to the first years. Now go on, the headmaster is waiting on you."

"Oh yeah, sorry."

With another firm nod, Professor McGonagall hurried back down the hall. Ed made a face at her as she left before entering the mysterious stairwell that had been revealed to him. As soon as both his feet were planted firmly on the steps, the stairs began to move, carrying him upward in a spiral towards the headmaster's office. He wasn't sure how long he had been riding these steps, but Ed eventually reached the top and found himself face to face with a large door. Just as he was about to knock, the doors swung open by themselves and opened up into a large, cluttered office.

It was a large and beautiful circular room, filled with a wide variety of unusual objects, at least half (if not all) of which Ed had never before seen in his life. The walls were covered with portraits of different men and women, all of whom appeared to be asleep in their picture. There were a few bookshelves at the far side of the room that almost reached the ceiling, all of them filled with countless books. Ed found himself itching to raid the bookshelves. Books in the headmaster's office had to be loaded with all kinds of priceless information!

"Impressed, are you?"

Ed nodded dumbly in response, his eyes wide as he continued to stare at the shelves.

"I could loan you some if you like, Mr. Elric."

There were practically stars in his eyes as Ed whirled around. "Really?"

A round of soft laughter could be heard coming from the direction of the desk. Realizing for the first time that someone else was in the room, Ed stepped further into the office to see who was there. Sitting in a large, comfortable-looking chair behind a desk was a thin man, smiling down at Edward. Judging by the silver of his hair and beard, both of which seemed long enough to be tucked into his belt, the man was very old. He was dressed in long, heavy robes and a purple cloak. His blue eyes seemed to sparkle with youth, shining out from behind a pair of half-moon spectacles that rested on his long, crooked nose. His smile deepened as Edward stepped further into the office.

"I am Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts," he said with a slight nod. "You must be Major Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."

It felt like it had been a long time since Ed heard someone call him by his second name, even though the reality of it was that it had only been about a day. Ed saluted the headmaster out of impulse, which solicited an amused chuckle from the old wizard.

"No need for that, Mr. Elric," he smiled. "That's a habit you'll have to learn to break while you're here. This most certainly isn't the military."

Ed dropped his arm to his side hastily, embarrassed. "Sorry 'bout that. And, uh, you can just call me Ed. Or Edward."

Dumbledore laughed. "Alright then. I believe I'll go with Edward, if that's fine with you." Ed nodded his head vigorously. The headmaster's smile grew as he gestured to one of the chairs. "Have a seat, Edward. I am to explain to you a few more details about your mission and your stay here. I'll try to do this as quickly as possible."

The young alchemist nodded again as he sat down. The headmaster began to pull out sheets of parchment, looking them once over before putting them to the side. Ed watched him for a moment, studying him. Although Dumbledore seemed cheerful and friendly enough, there was something else about him. It was clear, though Ed couldn't quite place why, that he was not someone to be messed with. And while some part of him registered that as being extremely suspicious, at the same time Dumbledore seemed to be immensely trustworthy. It was a strange combination, but it was probably for that very reason that it _worked_. Ed instantly gained an enormous amount of respect for the old wizard. Which was a big deal, seeing as the only other person that Ed had any real respect for was Izumi Curtis.

Eventually, Dumbledore finished his task and turned back to Ed with a slight smile.

"Now then, I know for a fact that you've already met Mr. Malfoy and his friends. And, as I'm sure you've figured out by now, we have arranged for you to be in the Slytherin house with them."

Ed sighed inwardly, trying to hide his disappointment. A part of him had hoped that the assumption he made on the train had been wrong just the once.

"You'll find your robes already waiting for you in the trunk in your room, along with your required school supplies. You'll also be staying in the same room as Mr. Malfoy." Here Dumbledore raised his eyes and his gaze lingered on Edward's right arm. "I suggest you be very careful about hiding your limbs, Mr. Fullmetal Alchemist. Mr. Malfoy and his friends are not the type of people to sympathize with your condition. I've made sure to bewitch your mechanical limbs so that they are able to operate on Hogwarts grounds, by the way."

Ed's head snapped upward quickly, his eyes wide in shock. A mental alarm went off somewhere in his head and he gripped his arm in an almost protective manner. "How do you know so much about me, headmaster?"

Dumbledore gave Edward a meaningful look, raising his eyebrows as though to say "who do you think I am?" Then he smiled slightly and continued, pulling out some more parchment and sifting through them carefully. Ed honestly wasn't sure whether or not he was comforted by that reaction. Though as the headmaster sorted through his work, Ed realized that his right hand was unnaturally black and withered... As though it were dead. Maybe the man understood his situation better than Ed first thought.

"Be sure not to let anyone find out you're not a pureblood. Most Slytherin here are purebloods, and they're _very_ proud of their heritage. And since you're going to be in Slytherin, well... Not a word. They would skin you alive. Also-"

"Uh, sir?" Ed interrupted cautiously. "I've been meaning to ask about that whole... 'pureblood' thing. Exactly what does that mean?"

"It simply means that they are born into a family of wizards and witches," Dumbledore answered. "The Malfoys, for instance. Everyone in their family is of magical heritage."

With a nod of his head, Ed leaned back into the chair. He remembered how the house-elf back at Malfoy Manor had shrieked at Roy when he tried to enter and how Draco had sneered something about Mudbloods being a disgrace when they were on the train. As he allowed the information to sink in, Ed released a heavy sigh. He regretted not reading through the reports more thoroughly. He reminded himself to make sure to read them again before going to sleep.

Dumbledore rose to his feet and moved around his desk. "I realize that this is a spy mission of sorts and you may have to do a bit of sneaking around, so in order for you to carry out your mission more efficiently, I'm going to provide you with this pass."

He handed Edward a folded slip of parchment. Ed took it from him carefully and unfolded it, examining its contents. It was a note signed by Albus Dumbledore that allowed him to be in the halls after curfew. Ed sighed in relief. He had no real problem with bending rules when he had to, but having this would help keep him out of trouble with the teachers. The headmaster walked toward Ed and gave him a hearty pat on the back.

"That should help you do... whatever it is that you may need to do. If there's ever anything else that you need, just ask. Like borrowing one of these books, for example."

Ed smiled as he carefully tucked the note away. "Thanks. I'll keep that offer in mind."

The old wizard smiled, his blue eyes twinkling. "Well then, that's enough of that," he said cheerily as he headed for the exit. "Come along then, off to the feast. Wouldn't want to keep everyone waiting, now would we?"

 

Because of the briefing, both Edward and Dumbledore arrived at the Great Hall a few minutes late for the grand start-of-the-year feast. They entered through a back door that only professors used to get onto the platform. A few of the staff members that were seated at a nearby table looked over at them as they entered quietly, and Ed was quietly instructed to remain standing by the end of the table for the time being. Professor McGonagall, who was currently standing next to a stool at the front with a ragged looking hat in her hands, looked over at the headmaster expectantly. Dumbledore looked at all of his staff members and nodded his head firmly as a gesture to proceed before carefully making his way to what was clearly his designated seat. A look of relief washed over McGonagall’s face at Dumbledore’s signal as she turned to face the rest of the Great Hall and the four long tables in front of her.

"Now that the headmaster has arrived," she told everyone in a loud voice, "we may begin the sorting ceremony."

She then proceeded to call out names in alphabetical order, and each time a nervous looking eleven year-old would step up and have the hat placed on his or her head. The torn hat would then cry out the name of one of the houses (much to Ed's surprise), the corresponding table would cheer, and the kid would go sit with them.

Edward looked out into the sea of faces, searching for Draco and his followers. He found them at the table furthest to the right. Draco was watching the ceremony on the platform with a bored expression on his face. Pansy sat right next to him, her arm linked with his. Zabini, Crabbe, and Goyle were sitting across the table from them. They were snickering to one another as they watched the ceremony, pointing at certain first years and then laughing amongst themselves at some joke they had made.

As soon as they noticed Edward standing up on the platform with all the teachers, they began to nudge each other and point him out. Ed grimaced when he noticed that many other kids on different tables were doing the same. His presence was obviously drawing attention away from the seemingly all-important sorting ceremony that was taking place. He shifted his weight uncomfortably as he tried to ignore their stares, shoving his gloved hands into his pockets and pretending to intently watch the ceremony.

About halfway through, the large doors on the other end of the hall burst open. Many heads turned around to see who had just entered. Ed had to squint to make out their features. Two wizards, one of which Ed recognized as the Harry Potter kid from the train. His eyebrows came together in concern. Harry looked worse than he did when Ed left him. A look of suppressed rage marred his blood-stained face and Harry glared daggers after the other man as he made his way to the long table on the far left side of the room.

The other wizard was a tall, sour-looking man with greasy black hair up to his shoulders. He marched down the aisle toward the teacher's table with an air of slime and self-imposed superiority about him that Ed instantly disliked. He was reminded too much of some of the more corrupt military officers that he had come across in his travels. Many of the Slytherins seemed to be giving him approving looks as he passed them. Ed noticed that Draco made some comment to his followers and gestured to Harry's nose, which the man seemed to smirk coldly at as he passed. The professor stepped up onto the platform, giving Edward a suspicious look as he took his seat with the other teachers.

In spite of the interruption, the ceremony had continued as though nothing had happened. Once the last name was called and the respective first year was seated with the other Hufflepuffs, Dumbledore stepped forward, raising his voice so that everyone could hear him.

"Before we get on with the feast," he cried out to the masses, "allow me to introduce all of you to our newest student."

He turned to Edward and gestured for him to come forward. Ed looked at him as though he had lost his mind before obeying, slowly stepping forward. The way everyone's attention instantly became fixated on him, Ed would have guessed that a giant spotlight had appeared over his head. He had to resist the inclination to look up and check.

"This is Edward Elric," Dumbledore informed his students. "He's an exchange student from the school in Germany."

This caused a great murmur throughout the student body. Again, Ed shifted his position uncomfortably. Obviously, they didn't get many exchange students at this school. So much for remaining inconspicuous.

"He will be joining us here at Hogwarts as a sixth year."

That only made the buzzing in the Hall grow. Ed could have sworn he heard remarks about his height. He searched through the faces angrily, trying to find out who was insulting him. Finding that he would probably never know for sure, Ed merely swore vengeance on the entire student body.

Dumbledore then looked back at the professor with the greasy black hair. "Please take kindly to him, Professor Snape. He's been sorted into your house."

Ed's eyes grew wide. Had he missed something? It had to be some kind of joke. The slimy, greasy wizard was the head of Slytherin house? Even though Ed wasn't quite sure what that meant, he was sure he didn't like it. He distrusted the man practically on sight! Then again, Ed was a spy. He could use this chance to keep tabs on this Snape character as well.

Apparently, he wasn't the only one who was shocked to hear this. Confused whispers could be heard from the Gryffindor table. They seemed to be saying something about the color of Ed's jacket... Ed noticed a mildly confused look on the face of one Harry Potter as he whispered something to the people around him.

The professor's eyebrows arched upward in surprise, though the sour look on his face didn't change much. Ed could see Draco's goons looking pleased to hear that he was going to be joining them, especially Pansy. In fact, many of the Slytherins seemed happy with the news. It was probably because of how much it seemed to bother Gryffindor. Many Slytherins turned to look at the other tables as though daring them to try and top Slytherin's acceptance of the first exchange student in Hogwarts history. A few of them were looking over at the Gryffindor table with wicked smirks on their faces.

Dumbledore gave Ed another pat on the back and gestured toward the Slytherin table. "Have a seat, Edward. The feast is about to begin."

Ed took a deep breath and walked toward the Slytherin table. He could almost feel the weight of hundreds of pairs of eyes as they watched him intently. Pansy seemed to be beckoning at Ed to sit with them. It was obvious that she was only doing so to show everyone that he was with Malfoy and his friends. A simple display of power over the others. Ed played along, his hands turning into tight fists in his pockets as he did so.

"Oh, Eddy, I'm so glad you're in Slytherin!" she said as he took a seat next to Zabini.

"Same here," he lied, a fake smile on his face.

"Congratulations on getting in," Zabini said, giving Ed a congratulatory slap on the back. "We Slytherins practically rule this school."

Ed had to stop himself from rolling his eyes. Pansy leaned across the table and reached out to push some of Ed's blonde hair out of his face, which only made him growl at her and swat her hands away. She giggled annoyingly as she sank back into her seat, making Ed find her to be all the more loathsome. It wasn’t long before Dumbledore's voice thundered over the Hall from the front.

"Let the feast begin!"

As soon as he said this, the table suddenly filled up with plates, utensils, and platters of every kind of food imaginable. In fact, they had appeared so suddenly that Ed practically fell out of his seat in surprise. Everyone nearby gave him a strange look except for Draco, who grinned mockingly.

"Had a bit of a scare there, pipsqueak?"

A vein popped out on Ed's forehead.

"Are you alright, Eddy?" Pansy asked.

Quickly pulling himself together, Ed straightened and cleared his throat. He considered apologizing, but decided against it. It didn't seem to him like these people really cared. And an apology would probably only give them something to laugh about later. Of course, Draco was practically laughing to himself already. Though not a sound escaped from his lips, Ed could tell.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he told Pansy as he reached over and began to fill his plate up with food.

The dinner was simply fantastic. Every kind of food that Ed could possibly have wanted to eat could be found on the table. He had to continuously fight the urge to just stuff his face silly in order to avoid getting more strange looks from the other Slytherins. So Ed ate like a civil person, using his utensils properly. However, this didn't stop him from eating as fast as he could. He was definitely planning on having seconds. And thirds. And maybe fourths.

Several girls that were sitting next to Pansy suddenly leaned eagerly toward Ed, smiles on their faces. Ed tried to ignore them, assuming that they were going to bombard him with questions, but they were apparently quite content just looking at him. This only made him uncomfortable, and when he finally looked over at them to ask what their problem was they turned away quite suddenly, giggling to one another. Ed raised an eyebrow in confusion and continued to eat.

Eventually he had eaten his fill and Ed leaned back slightly with a contented sigh. Now that he was no longer buried with his thoughts of food and eating, he noticed that Draco and his friends were discussing something.

"He was practically asking for it," Draco told his cronies with a smirk. "As though I would really just let him get away. He thinks he's so clever with that bloody cloak of his. I saw right through it the moment he stepped into the compartment!"

"You're amazing, Drakey!" Pansy cooed, latching herself onto Draco's arm.

Draco's smirk only grew with pride. "So then I forced him out of hiding, if you know what I mean." A few Slytherins snickered knowingly. "Potter drops to the floor, stiff as a board, and that's when I get him." He then mimed the action of breaking his nose and everyone around him laughed except for Ed. "Then I covered him up with that precious cloak of his and left him there."

Everyone laughed heartily, clearly impressed and entertained by Draco's tale of cowardly victory. Ed just smiled as he listened, pretending to be just as amused as the others even though he disapproved whole heartedly. As soon as their laughter died down, Zabini leaned forward to speak.

"Hang on a moment... You paralyzed Potter and hid him from view, yeah?"

Draco nodded, shooting Zabini an annoyed look. "What did I just say?"

"But then how did he still manage to get back here?"

Ed flinched slightly. Were they onto him? He hid his eyes as a thoughtful silence fell over the group. After a moment, Draco calmly leaned back and shrugged.

"Well, not all plans are perfect," he said evenly.

"Some prat must've come in and tripped over him," Crabbe/Goyle suggested.

"Completely ruined the school year for us," Zabini said with a shake of his head.

"It would've been a nice change if Potter had ended up back in London."

"Yeah. I'd like to go a school year without him around."

Everyone then turned to Ed, who was peacefully sipping at his pumpkin juice with his eyes shut. He had successfully blocked out the rest of the world for the moment and was entirely oblivious to the intense stares the other Slytherins were giving him. Surprisingly, pumpkin juice was quite refreshing. Before the feast, Ed had never once heard of the stuff, but now it was quickly becoming one of his favorite things to drink.

"What do _you_ think, Elric?" Draco asked him.

Upon hearing his name, Ed opened his eyes and looked up to meet everyone's stares. "Huh? About what?"

"About Harry Potter."

Ed looked from one Draco goon to the other. A part of him wanted to roll his eyes at their attempt to "sneakily" get information out of him. Well, they weren't going to get anything out of Edward Elric. He took another sip of his juice.

"Oh yeah, about him. Who is he?"

Everyone's eyes went wide and they fell into a shocked silence. Even Draco was looking at Ed as though he were insane.

"This is a first," Pansy gasped. "You don't know who Harry Potter is?"

"Well, not really," Ed said, putting a nervous smile on his face. _I'm the "prat" that helped him out on the train, you elitist slugs._ "I think I've heard his name once or twice, but I don't actually know anything about him."

A smile slowly crept onto Draco's face. "Good."

Ed raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Why is that good?"

"The less you know about him," the grey-eyed boy told him mysteriously, "the better."

That just made Edward shake his head and roll his eyes a little, turning his attention back onto draining the rest of his pumpkin juice. What a weird kid.

It was made clear at this point that dinner was definitely over as the tables cleared themselves off. Everyone turned to look back up at the stage, where Dumbledore had once again risen to his feet and stepped forward.

"The very best of evenings to you!" he said, smiling broadly.

He opened his arms wide as though he meant to embrace the entire student body. With the simple gesture, Dumbledore's sleeves fell back and revealed his blackened right hand. Many students gasped in shock and horror at the sight, including several Slytherins.

"What happened to his hand?" someone whispered.

"How the bloody 'ell should I know?"

"That looks really bad..."

Ed frowned, staring at the dead looking hand for the second time tonight. So the matter of his hand was not an old wound that the headmaster was living with. It was something new that he was suffering. Beneath the table, Ed's automail fingers curled into his palm. It was none of his business to ask about it. He was sure of that much. But it was worrying nonetheless.

Dumbledore just smiled at his students and shook his sleeve over his injury, telling them not to be concerned about it. He then went on to welcome everyone back to Hogwarts and relayed a round of messages and other such notices. They didn't seem to be particularly important; something about somebody named Filch putting a blanket ban on items from some joke shop as well as some announcement for Quidditch enthusiasts. In other words, things that Ed had practically zero interest in. Eventually, Dumbledore turned his attention to the staff table.

"We are pleased to welcome a new member of staff this year," he announced. "Professor Slughorn."

He gestured toward a short, round old man with a funny moustache. The professor stood up at the mention, raising a hand into the air. Zabini made a face as Crabbe and Goyle turned to him, snickering.

"It's your new best friend, Zabini!" they teased, nudging him in the sides.

Zabini smacked their arms away. "You better cut that out right now or live to regret it."

Ed smiled amusedly to himself before turning back to listen to Dumbledore. The old wizard turned to look back at his students as Slughorn sank back into his seat.

"Professor Slughorn is a former colleague of mine who has agreed to resume his old post of Potions Master."

There was a ripple of surprise around the room. Clearly this came as a shock to everyone as the word "potions" was echoed all across the Great Hall. No one could seem to tell whether or not they had heard Dumbledore correctly. Even the Slytherins looked at one another in confusion.

"A new Potions Master?"

"What happened with Snape?"

"He obviously didn't get sacked. He's still sitting with the staff!"

Draco, Pansy, and the idiot duo all turned to look at Zabini. "Did you know about this?"

"No," Blaise told them, clearly just as confused as everyone else in the room. "I figured he'd be the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, what with that position being cursed and all."

Ed looked at Zabini skeptically. "'Cursed'?"

"Yeah," Crabbe/Goyle told him. "Seems like something happens to every teacher that takes the job. They never seem to last any longer than one school year."

He nearly laughed aloud at the comment. Ed had to wonder what all of those teachers had done to get themselves fired. Or if something horrible had happened to them. So much for teaching "defense against the dark arts" if they couldn't even take care of themselves. The school was probably running low on candidates for the job if they had really cycled through that many teachers.

Dumbledore then raised his voice over the muttering of the students. "Professor Snape, meanwhile, will be taking over the position of Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher."

Nearly everyone at the Slytherin table raised their eyebrows in affected surprise, including Draco. A few students whispered to one another, wondering whether or not that could be considered as a promotion or a demotion.

"NO!" shouted someone from across the room.

Everyone turned in their seats, looking for who had shouted. Ed strained to look over their heads and realized that everyone was staring at none other than Harry Potter himself. The young dark-haired wizard was looking at Snape in what could only be described as horrified rage. A few people laughed nervously when Harry finally looked away, running his hands through his messy hair in frustration. Draco smirked, shutting his eyes and leaning back in his seat.

"Looks like Potty's got a problem with our new DADA teacher," he told his cronies. "This should be an interesting school year, eh?"

Amused, grim smiles appeared on all of his friends' faces. Ed didn't really care, deciding that whatever issues Draco had with Harry were really none of his concern. He looked back up at Dumbledore, who had cleared his throat and raised one arm into the air as he waited for absolute silence to descend among the restless students.

"Now, as everybody in this Hall knows," he continued gravely, "Lord Voldemort and his followers are once more at large and gaining in strength."

And just like that, the atmosphere in the hall became tense. Ed noticed out of the corner of his eye that a few Slytherins glanced expectantly in Draco's direction, as though they were waiting for some kind of reaction out of him. But the Malfoy heir remained calm as Dumbledore's speech went on. He had pulled out his wand and was busy making his fork levitate in the air. It seemed like he couldn't have cared any less about whatever the headmaster had to say. Even so, Ed couldn't help but notice a strange, almost suspicious look in his grey eyes as he stared at the floating fork.

"I cannot emphasize strongly enough how dangerous the present situation is, and how much care each of us at Hogwarts must take to ensure that we remain safe. The castle's magical fortifications have been strengthened over the summer, we are protected in new and more powerful ways, but we must still guard scrupulously against carelessness on the part of any student or member of the staff. I urge you, therefore, to abide by any security restrictions that your teachers might impose upon you, however irksome you might find them - in particular, the rule that you are not to be out of bed after hours."

Ed smiled to himself when he heard this. He, at least, was exempt from this rule. A feeling of great pride swelled up within him. He tried not to let it show.

"I implore you," Dumbledore went on, "should you notice anything strange or suspicious within or outside the castle, to report it to a member of staff immediately. I trust you to conduct yourselves, always, with the utmost regard for your own and others' safety." He fell silent for a moment, his blue eyes scanning the room, and then smiled again. "But now, your beds await, as warm and comfortable as you could possibly wish, and I know that your top priority is to be well-rested for your lessons tomorrow. Let us therefore say good night. Pip pip!"

There was a deafening scrape as the benches were moved back. Everyone rose to their feet and began to file out of the hall. Several students from each house shouted out to their respective first years and led them dutifully out of the Great Hall. Draco and his gang all stood up slowly, their leader rolling his grey eyes.

"Finally," he muttered. "Now we can get out of here. Let's go."

They all nodded in agreement as they headed out of the hall, with Crabbe/Goyle forcing through the crowd and creating a path through the sea of students. Pansy beckoned for Ed to follow them, fiddling with his long braid. Zabini walked next to him, slinging an arm casually around his shoulders and launching into a speech about the benefits of being Slytherin. Ed hid his discomfort as he threw a quick glance back over his shoulder at Dumbledore. The headmaster gave him a barely perceptible nod as he watched Ed get dragged off toward the Slytherin dormitory.

It was time for his mission to really start.

 


	5. Magic 101

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Classes officially begin.

Ed was sprawled out on his bed amidst a pool of papers, staring up at the ceiling as his mind swam with information.  He had spent the last few hours poring over the last group of books he had bought from Diagon Alley, still trying to crack the code on this “magic” business.  So far he hadn't succeeded, and all of the books he had read were scattered haphazardly on the floor around his bed.  After reading those, he went back to the thick file that had been given to him and gave it another run through.  While he learned nothing about any basic logistics behind magic, he did manage to find the answers to some of his other questions.  This had pleased him enough to finally stop, which left Ed with nothing to do but stare at the ceiling.

Part of the main reason he had even bothered to go on this insane studying spree was because of the other Slytherins.  The entire walk to the Slytherin common room, various Slytherins whose names and faces Ed had already forgotten kept telling him all about how superior their house was to the others.  And every now and again someone would ask Ed a question about himself, similar to the way Pansy had interrogated him on the train.  Except this time he didn't have to answer, seeing as whenever Ed even thought about answering, someone else had something new to say.  Either that or Pansy would answer for him, as though she now knew everything about him.

Basically, Edward was thoroughly annoyed with the other Slytherins at the moment and wasn't about to go and rejoin them in the common room.  He knew that they were still there, laughing amongst themselves as they found something to make fun of.  Their laughter was very loud and _very_ annoying.  Ed groaned, covering his ears with his hands.  He wished again that Al was here.  Then he would have someone to rant to.  As it was, he was just getting more and more frustrated.

With an angry growl, Ed ran a hand through his hair and got off his bed.  He hastily stuffed all the papers back into the envelope and stashed it at the bottom of his trunk along with his auto-mail maintenance kit and his pocket watch (the bottom of the trunk was quickly becoming the place to hide all things related to Amestris).  Then he started looking for something to wear to sleep.

Normally, he would just take off his outer jacket and pants and sleep in his black tank and boxers, but he had to be careful now.  He and Al had overlooked this little detail while packing, and now he was regretting it.  Ed transmuted several blankets (that probably weren't going to be used) into a simple pair of long pants, a long sleeved shirt, and socks.  Making sure no one would see him, Ed quickly changed into his new pajamas, stopping only briefly to check his auto-mail for any malfunctions.  He then flopped down on the bed and drew the green curtains so that he was completely hidden from view.

He had just barely begun to drift off to sleep when he heard the others enter the room.  There was a brief moment of silence and then a stifled laugh.  Ed groaned, rolling onto his side and trying to ignore them.  He was half-asleep and grumpy.  He didn’t need noisy roommates at the moment.

"Look at all those books!  Looks like Elric's a bit of a swot, eh?"

"Granger's got some competition."

"Haha!  Yeah!"

"Bloody hell, could you shut it about her?! Just the sound of her name makes me sick."

"Have a look at these!   _'Magical Theory: Volume VI,'_ _'A History of Magic,' 'Advanced Potions'_... Bloody hell, it's like he's got every textbook for every class in Hogwarts!"

"Maybe we can get him to help us in class."

"We'll have our very own bookworm to boost our marks!  Just like Granger!"

"A real guy version of Granger, right here with Slytherin!"

"Could you change the bloody subject already?"

"Y'know something? You get real iffy when it comes down to Granger."

"What are you on about?"

"Why _is_ that, exactly? Is it because she's about the only girl in all of Hogwarts who will  _never_ put out for you?"

Ed gritted his teeth, pressing his pillow to the sides of his head.  They weren’t bothering to even fake whisper as they talked to one another, and it was giving him half a mind to whip the curtains back and scream at them.  Who the hell was this Granger person, and why the hell did it matter?!  Why wouldn’t they just let him sleep?!

"If you don't shut that filthy mouth of yours, I'll-"

"If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that you-"

"Hey, what d'you suppose this symbol is?  The one on Elric's jacket?"

First his books, now his jacket?!  He was so close to exploding out of bed and attacking them.   _Get away from my stuff!_

"Would you lot just piss off already?"

"Oh, but there are so many questions left unanswered!"

"You want an answer?  Fine.  I _hate_ Granger.  I absolutely _despise_ her mere existence."

"Denial is unhealthy, my friend."

"Don't make me hex you, Zabini."

"Hey look!  Elric's got a book of spells!"

"Useful."

Ed growled under his breath, scratching his head in frustration and all but rolling from side to side on the bed.  If they didn’t shut up and get the hell away from his things soon, _he was going to--_

"And get away from Elric's books.  You gits are getting on my bloody nerves and I'd like to get some sleep."

"Oh, come on, Malfoy.  Tired already?"

"Bugger off."

"Sheesh, touchy."

"Get to bed or get your arses out of here."

With that, the room finally began to quiet down as the rest of Ed’s roommates slowly settled into their beds, for which Ed was eternally grateful.  Of course, this didn't change the fact that he was _very_ angry.  He immediately decided to figure out some prank he could pull on them... when he was lucid again.  Comforted greatly by this thought, Ed smirked to himself as he finally fell asleep.

 

Ed woke up to find himself surrounded by green curtains.  For a brief, panic-stricken moment he was completely disoriented and was about to call out for Al, but he quickly remembered the events of the past day and slumped back into the bed, running his hands through his long hair.  He then raised himself slightly and poked his head out from within the curtains of his bed.  The other boys were still sound asleep in their beds.  It was still early.

Slowly, he pulled himself out of the bed and rummaged through his trunk.  Before doing anything else he grabbed his silver pocket watch and opened it up to check the time.  It was apparently a little bit after six o'clock, which meant that it was just barely light outside.  Ed blinked slowly as he stared at the clock face before putting it away.

He then grudgingly changed into the Hogwarts uniform, retrieved his wand from his trunk, and headed to the Slytherin common room armed with one of his books.  He had read this particular book several times already, but Ed couldn’t help but feel like he was missing something crucial.  He stretched out on the long black couch by the fireplace with his feet propped up on the armrest, holding his book up above his head as he read.

Ed pretty much had the basics of this magic stuff down, but none of the books could give him a simple explanation of how the magic really worked.  They only had instructions on how to hold your wand and what to say.  It seemed like magic had no bounds or rules the way alchemy did.  And worst of all, he still had no idea how he had fixed Harry’s broken nose (among other things).

With a disheartened sigh, Ed pulled out his wand and examined it.  There was nothing special about it, really.  It was just a simple stick of mahogany wood.  How was it possible for something so plain to do such unbelievable things?  Sitting up on the couch properly, Ed switched the wand to his left hand and decided to try one of the simpler first-year level spells.  After reading through his many spell books multiple times, Ed already had many of them memorized.  He put his book on top of the table and pointed the tip of his wand at it.

"Well… Here goes nothing.  Literally." He took a deep breath. " _Wingardium Leviosa._ "

Much to Ed's surprise (and frustration), the book rose up and hovered in the air.  For a while he could do nothing but stare at the book as it floated before him.  He then shifted his surprised gaze onto his wand, still trying to figure out how it worked.  It shouldn't have.  All he had done was wave the wand and say some funny words.  Nothing had been exchanged.  It was frustrating to find that magic seemed to completely disregard the principle of equivalent exchange, especially since Ed believed that everything in the natural world followed that law.  There had to be an exchange going on somewhere.  Nothing could be gained without sacrifice.

Before long a few other Slytherins began to enter the common room, looking just as exhausted as Ed was as they rubbed their eyes and yawned.  Putting his wand into his pocket, Ed snatched the book out of the air and quickly thumbed through the pages so that he looked too busy to talk to them.  That was when he remembered that he had to plan some way to prank his roommates and a slight grin appeared on his face.

" _'Spells and Charms: The Nature of Magic'_?  What the bloody 'ell are you reading, Elric?"

Ed practically jumped at the voice and spun around in his seat.  Standing just behind the couch was a sleepy version of Draco and his gang.  Crabbe and Goyle were so tired it looked like they were sleepwalking and Draco had seated himself lazily on the far armrest of the couch.  Zabini was the one who had spoken, inspecting the book in Ed's hands from afar as though it carried a disease.

"Just reviewing," Ed said defensively.  "Got a problem with that?"

A mischievous smile played on Blaise's face and he shook his head.  "Not at all."

The blonde narrowed his eyes at him before turning back to his book.  Any idiot could tell that Zabini was planning on using Ed to get better grades.  He may have been half-asleep when the jack asses came into the room last night, but he heard every word they said.  Still smiling, Zabini walked over to rejoin Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle.  Ed could have sworn that he heard Zabini whisper something to them and laugh softly.  Draco rolled his eyes and got up, ready to leave.  Crabbe/Goyle looked back at Ed, a sleepy look still on his face.

"Coming to breakfast, then?" he asked.

They all stopped walking suddenly and turned to look at him.  Ed glanced up from his book, trying to hide a frown.  Their faces were mostly expressionless as they watched him, waiting for some kind of answer.  With a heavy sigh, Ed shut his book with a loud slap and rose abruptly to his feet.  Everyone watched him as he marched back to the room, waving slightly over his shoulder.

"I'll meet you there," he muttered, which obviously pleased them enough to make them leave.   _'I kinda have to, don't I?'_

 

Breakfast had been relatively uneventful.  Ed rejoined Draco's gang as they ate and talked about something that had little relevance to anything.  Draco didn't seem to be taking part in the conversation and just ate his food in silence.  Ed didn't care to talk to them either, but even if he had come up with anything to say, he was so busy eating as much as possible that he paused only to breathe and drink his pumpkin juice.  Pansy joined them shortly, once again taking her rightful place at Draco's side with an annoying, girlish giggle and linked her arm with his.  

As soon as Ed had eaten his fill he rested his head on the table with a contented sigh.  He was loving this seemingly endless supply of food.  For a wandering alchemist like him, food was always sought after and immensely appreciated.  He watched Malfoy and his buddies for a while, his mind churning with possible pranks he could pull on them.  Particularly on Zabini.

A few moments later, hundreds of owls entered the Great Hall through the open windows.  Ed raised his head off the table and watched in surprise as they all descended onto the tables and the students reached over to untie something from their legs.  He realized that this was how mail was sent to and from Hogwarts.  He vaguely remembered the colonel saying something about sending him an owl in order to send his reports back to headquarters.

_I wonder how I'll know which one Mustang sent..._

As though on cue, a small, beautiful brown and white owl with a heart shaped face landed on the table in front of Ed.  It stared at him for a moment with its large black eyes and Ed just stared back.  Then the owl quickly pecked at Ed's right hand, tearing the material slightly and revealing the glint of metal.  Ed panicked and hid his hands under the table, looking around him urgently to see if anyone had noticed.  He breathed a sigh of relief when he found that barely anyone was near him, and Draco's gang was much too busy helping themselves to a bag of treats that Draco had apparently received from home.

Making sure that no one would see anything, Ed clapped his hands softly under the table and repaired the rip on his glove.  With this, the owl seemed to come to a decision and raised its leg slightly as though telling Ed to take the attached note.  He only glared at the owl as it hopped over and began to nibble at his long bangs, its leg still raised in offering.

"Mustang definitely sent you," he muttered.

The owl just cocked its head curiously to one side.  Only then did anyone notice that there was an owl facing off with Ed and everyone turned their attention to it.  Pansy practically squealed at the sight of its beautiful, soft feathers.

"Your owl is beautiful!" she breathed.  "It's a barn owl, isn't it?"

Ed just laughed nervously as he reached for the small note on its leg.  "Uh- Yeah?"

He didn't know much of anything about owls and wasn't about to pretend that he did.  What he did know was that this owl was starting to bug him, since it wouldn't stop nibbling his hair.

"It's awful small," Draco commented bluntly. "Even for a barn owl."

The small owl seemed to be angry as it stopped what it was doing at once and turned its head sharply to look at Draco.  The young Slytherin scowled in disapproval and muttered something under his breath about it being just like Ed.  The other boys laughed and Pansy scolded Draco gently as Ed unfolded the note and read its contents.

 

_Fullmetal,_

_A tiny owl for a tiny alchemist. Her name is Eule.  
_ _Don't forget your reports._

 _-Col. Roy Mustang  
_ _The Flame Alchemist_

 

With an angry, hateful growl, Edward leapt to his feet and quickly tore the note to shreds.

"Damn that Mustang!" he hissed, his gold eyes burning.  "Leave it to that bastard to be a hundred miles away and _still_ insult me!"

Everyone's eyes went wide as they watched him.  They were very lucky Ed had managed to keep himself from jumping into the air with his arms flailing, shouting and swearing profusely.  Clearly frightened by his behavior, Eule flapped her wings and followed the other owls as they left the Great Hall and flew toward the owlery.

Ed left what remained of the note scattered in pieces around on the table as all the students began to line up in front of Professor Snape.  Apparently, the sallow-faced professor was handing out schedules to the students of his house and as much as Ed hated to think about it, he belonged to Slytherin.  When Ed came up to retrieve his schedule, Snape eyed him suspiciously.

"Mr. Edward Elric, correct?" he said dryly as he rummaged through his stack.

"That's right," Ed confirmed politely.

Snape pulled out a timetable and examined it.  "Seems as though Dumbledore took the liberty of drawing your timetable up himself.  I'll have to trust he knows what he's doing.  And I trust that you'll be able to keep up.  I won't tolerate any falling behind in my class."  He then handed the timetable over to Ed.  "Is that clear?"

The young alchemist took it into his hands, looking Snape straight in the eye.  "Crystal.  You want me to wag my tail while I'm at it?"

Professor Snape sneered as he turned away, seemingly unable to take Ed's sass.  That greasy teacher had no idea who he was messing with.  Ed had dealt with infinitely more intimidating people than this character.  He was in the military, after all.  He smiled secretly as he wandered back toward Draco and his gang.  He then read through the classes that were listed, a thoughtful look in his eyes.  Zabini looked at Ed curiously as he approached, craning his neck to get a quick look at Ed's schedule.  Ed glanced up at him and snorted in annoyance.

"If you're so curious, you could just ask," he said gruffly as he held the timetable out for everyone to see.  "Here."

Pansy made a face, comparing Ed's schedule with hers and Draco's.  "You're in _all_ of Draco's classes!" she whined, clearly annoyed that she didn't have the same luxury.

Draco grimaced as he also compared their schedules.  "Bloody hell," he muttered softly.

Though this came as no great surprise to Ed, he still faked shock and looked over at Draco's, pretending to compare timetables and saying something about weird coincidences.  Pansy looked at her schedule, pouting about not being able to spend more time with Draco throughout the week.  She then turned to Ed, a pleading look in her eyes.

"How about switching with me, Eddy?"

Ed glanced at Pansy and almost burst out laughing.  He hid it with an apologetic smile.  "Somehow, I don't think it works that way."   _'If I could, I would.  I don't_ want _to be in his classes!'_

Draco rolled his eyes in annoyance, putting his schedule away.  "Like you would want to take Arithmancy, Pans."  He smirked slightly.  "In fact, I don't think any of you lot could handle most of the classes I'm taking."

"I would if you were there, Drakey."

Crabbe/Goyle gaped at Draco and Ed.  "I can't believe you're both taking Arithmancy."

"You saying I'm not smart enough?" Draco snapped.

"What, is it supposed to be hard?" Ed asked.

Everyone but Draco looked at Ed in shock, their mouths hanging open.  He just looked back at them, blinking in confusion.

"What?"

 

 

He soon discovered the reason for getting the odd stare.  Apparently, Arithmancy was really complex math as it related to fortune telling and magic.  Not only that, but Professor Vector, the rigid looking teacher, was terribly boring to listen to.  She seemed to know the material perfectly, but the boring lecture was just short of torture.  Fortunately for Edward, he had endured worse verbal abuse than this and had already read the assigned textbooks from cover to cover.  He knew that the subject matter was extremely complex and wasn't quite sure he believed in fortune telling of any sort to be scientifically sound.  But for someone who had done heavy calculations required for human transmutation and had been designing his own alchemical theories since he was seven years old... it was about average difficulty.

There were maybe three or four other students in the class besides Draco and Ed; one was from Gryffindor and the others were Ravenclaws.  It was much too small to be divided between only two houses and it seemed like they decided to put everyone of the same year into one class.  None of the students said a word throughout the entire period as they quickly wrote down what Professor Vector read from the text and wrote on the board.  Ed couldn't be bothered and only half-listened to her monotonous voice as he scribbled complex transmutation circles on his parchment to keep himself entertained.

Every now and then Ed noticed Draco's attention drift to one of the other students.  A girl, obviously.  His silver eyes would linger on her backside for a few moments as she listened to the teacher eagerly.  He would then avert his eyes hastily, replacing the thoughtful glaze on his face with the usual sneer as he quickly wrote down what he had missed.  Ed couldn't really see the girl's face from where he was sitting, but he couldn't help but wonder what that was all about.

He chose not to ask as they walked to the next class, since Draco seemed to have quickly turned completely sour as soon as the class ended.  Ed walked a few steps behind the Malfoy heir, partly to stay out of his way and partly so that he could follow him to class.  He had absolutely no idea where their next class was supposed to be, after all, which just made Draco shoot more than a few annoyed glances over his shoulder as they walked.  It seemed like he wasn't sure what to think of the young blonde, a confusion at which Ed smiled inwardly.

They met up with Blaise and Pansy near the Great Hall before going to their Defense Against the Dark Arts class.  They made some snide comments about having to take the class with the oh-so-noble and brave Gryffindors, which Ed rolled his eyes at as he entered the Great Hall to see if he couldn't grab something to snack on.  Ed was greeted with strange looks when he rejoined Draco's group with a sandwich wrap in his mouth.  Unable to do much of anything else with his mouth so full, Ed just returned their stares, blinking his eyes innocently.

Then they made their way to Defense Against the Dark Arts and waited in the corridor with the other students.  There seemed to be a low buzz of excitement as everyone asked one another about what they were expecting now that Professor Snape was the teacher.  Some people seemed very excited while others looked completely horrified.  Ed surveyed the waiting students quietly as he finished his sandwich.  He had to wonder why so many of the Gryffindors seemed to be afraid of Snape.  To Ed, he wasn't particularly scary.  Loathsome, maybe.  But not scary.

As Edward continued to study the faces of his fellow classmates, he noticed Harry Potter approaching the room with two other Gryffindors.  Ed thought he recognized them from somewhere, though he couldn't be sure.  He watched the trio for a moment before looking away and caught the vicious glares that Draco and his friends were giving them.  The Gryffindors didn't seem to notice.

After a few moments the door to the classroom opened quickly and the chatter instantly ceased.  The sallow-faced wizard stepped out, glaring balefully at the students before him.

"Inside."

Snape had all but hissed the word before turning on his heel to reenter his classroom, his black robes whipping out behind him.  Everyone filed in quickly, murmuring softly to one another.  Pansy once again latched herself onto Draco's arm, clinging to him as though they were about to enter a haunted house.  Draco gave her a blank look while Ed rolled his eyes.

As they entered the classroom, many students (including Ed) gazed about their surroundings.  The room was extremely gloomy, lit only by candles as the drapes had been pulled and blocked the windows.  Gruesome pictures lined the walls, at which many people cringed while taking their seats.  Ed followed Draco, Pansy, and Blaise to the second row and sat with them quietly.  He rested his chin in his hand and continued to stare at the paintings.

"I have not asked you to take out your books," said Snape as he closed the door.  Several students hastily stashed their textbooks away.  "I wish to speak to you, and I want your fullest attention."

The professor then stalked up to the front of the room, his eyes darting from face to face as he did so.  His black robes billowed around him as he walked, the sallow expression on his face unchanging.  Once there he spun sharply on his heel to face the classroom and allowed his dark eyes to wander.  He shot Ed a particularly nasty look.

"You have had five teachers in this subject so far, I believe," he said dispassionately.  "Naturally, these teachers will all have had their own methods and priorities.  Given this confusion I am surprised so many of you scraped an O.W.L. in this subject.  I shall be even more surprised if all of you manage to keep up with the N.E.W.T. work, which will be much more advanced."

Everyone kept their eyes on Snape as he began to stalk around the room.  Ed didn't like what Snape had implied with those comments.  If there was one thing that he hated, it was adults who looked down on him and doubted his intelligence.  He'd show him.  So what if he hadn't taken that "owl" test or whatever it was?  Edward Elric was perfectly capable of keeping up with whatever was thrown at him.  And he would _definitely_ prove it to them.

The professor lowered his voice slightly as he continued.

"The Dark Arts are many, varied, ever-changing and eternal.  Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before.  You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating... indestructible."

A slight frown had formed on Ed's face as he listened.  He couldn't help but notice a slight caress in his voice as he spoke, as though he admired these evil things more than he feared them.  It was somewhat unnerving, and extremely suspicious.

Professor Snape made his way to the paintings along the wall and looked at them with a stern expression on his face.  "Your defenses," he went on in a louder voice, "must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the arts you seek to undo.  These pictures give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the Cruciatus Curse..."

He pointed out a picture of a witch that was shrieking in agony.  The students gazed at it, reacting in various ways; some were horrified, others were repulsed, and still others seemed indifferent.  Snape continued and gestured to another painting of a blank eyed wizard, slumped against a wall.

"... feel the Dementor's Kiss," Snape continued with a soft hiss.

Several students, including Edward, shuddered visibly.  Ed had come across an account of a Dementor in one of the books he got from Diagon Alley.  He definitely didn't like what he read, and had hoped with all his might that the book was wrong and they didn't exist.  Apparently they did.  Professor Snape paid no heed to anyone's reactions and continued, pointing to one last picture of an anonymous bloody mass upon the ground.

"... or provoke the aggression of the Inferius."

Ed only glanced at the last picture, refusing to take the image in for too long.  It reminded him too much of the sin he and his brother committed... He shivered, staring intently at the top of his desk, gripping his right forearm and forcing the memories out of his mind.  He didn't want to relive that moment.  It was his own childhood trauma, and anything that reminded him of that... that _thing_...

Pansy noticed the anxious look on Ed's face.  "What's happened to Eddy?"

Zabini glanced at the young blonde.  "The images are gettin' to him, I suppose."

"Poor little Elric," Draco muttered.  "Afraid of a few bloody pictures."

Ordinarily Ed would immediately turn and glare at him, his teeth bared and growling like a wild dog.  After all, Draco had used the word "little" in a description of him.  But  he was so distracted with his own thoughts that he’d barely even heard the comment.

A dark-skinned girl raised her hand nervously in the air.  "Has an Inferius been seen, then?  Is it definite, is he using them?"

Snape gave a small smirk.  "The Dark Lord has used Inferi in the past.  Which means you would be well-advised to assume he might use them again.  Now..."

He then made his way back to his desk and began to shuffle through various papers.  Still emerging  back into his senses, Ed looked up and watched Snape carefully, studying his features.  There was simply something about the way he had answered that girl's question that Ed didn't like.  He wished desperately that he could do some kind of background check on this professor.  Everything he had said was unsettling to Ed.  Mention of Snape was most certainly going into his report.

Seeing the life back in Ed's face, Pansy leaned toward him and tugged on a lock of Ed's hair.  "What happened to you?"

He blinked in confusion.  "Huh?"

"You looked like you pissed your pants," Zabini chuckled.

Ed just shook his head, his thoughts suddenly turning to ones of vengeance.  "It's nothing."

Pansy raised an eyebrow and Blaise shrugged his shoulders as they returned their attention on Snape.  Draco glanced at Ed out of the corner of his eye, remaining thoughtfully silent.

"...you are, I believe, complete novices in the use of non-verbal spells.  What is the advantage of a non-verbal spell?"

Almost simultaneously, every head in the room turned expectantly toward a girl with bushy brown hair in the back, whose hand shot up immediately.  Ed glanced over at her offhandedly then back at Snape.  The professor seemed to be looking around the rest of the class, avoiding calling on the only person who knew the answer to his question.  

Ed shrugged to himself.  He might as well.  He raised his hand into the air, though not with nearly as much enthusiasm as the girl in the back.  When Professor Snape saw this he raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback.

"Mr. Elric?"

Everyone suddenly turned to look at him, some of them completely perplexed.  The rest of the class cast uncertain glances between Ed and the bushy-haired girl.  Draco smirked and leaned back in his chair, as though preparing himself to watch what promised to be an amusing show.

"Your enemy has no warning about what kind of... _attack_ you're gonna do," Ed said nonchalantly,  deliberately avoiding saying the words "spell" or "magic."  "Which would _obviously_ give you a split-second advantage in battle."

It seemed like Snape was trying his hardest to mask the impressed expression on his face.  "It looks as though the magical institute in Germany lives up to Hogwarts standards.  However, it only covers the essentials.  Yes, those who progress to using magic without shouting incantations gain an element of surprise in their spell-casting.  Not all wizards can do this, of course; it is a question of concentration and mind power which some..." Snape looked pointedly in Harry's direction.  "...lack."

Ed glanced at Harry curiously.  The young dark-haired wizard glowered at Snape until the professor turned to address the rest of the class.

"You will now divide into pairs," he announced.  "One partner will attempt to jinx the other _without speaking_.  The other will attempt to repel the jinx _in equal silence_.  Carry on."

The young alchemist raised his eyebrows in affected surprise.  Just like that, the other students were stirring to life and following instructions.  No further explanation from Snape or anything, which had Ed wondering whether or not that was normal.  He’d been out of the school game for a long time, but that seemed pretty damn strange.  And then he had to wonder whether or not he should attempt to join in.  After all, he had only cast his very first spell the previous day, restoring Harry from his paralysis.  He quickly realized that he was going to have to; Snape had told him very clearly that he was not going to allow any falling behind.

Pansy immediately paired herself off with Zabini, since she didn't want to hurt her precious and most beloved Draco.  Ed had to admit that he was disappointed not to be paired with Zabini, as it would have been a perfect opportunity to exact vengeance on him.  But he did have a few issues with Draco and immediately decided that this wasn't a total loss.  Except for the part where Ed had very little experience with using magic.  Ed pushed the shadow of doubt away.  He'd figure something out.

Draco seemed to pick up on the technique rather quickly and was already successfully casting spells without saying a word.  However, he hadn't managed to hit Ed with any of his jinxes, since Ed kept jumping out of the way.  Maybe he didn't have that split second warning of a verbal incantation, but judging by the direction in which Draco's wand was pointed, he could at least stay out of harm's way.  His years of combat training and military experience weren’t about to let him down.

"Keep still!" Malfoy demanded, still firing his wand.

"Yeah, right!" Ed retorted, jumping back.  "I'm not stupid, y'know!"

"Then I'll _make_ you keep still," Draco growled.

Ed rolled his eyes.  "Ooh.  I'm so scared."

Malfoy cast another spell and missed his target yet again.  A smirk could be seen on Ed's face.  Of course, he hadn't just been dodging; the entire time he was figuring out the trick to non-verbal spells.  He had only used magic a few times and therefore lacked the experience and control that the other students had.  This knowledge obviously made it easier for them to wrap their heads around the concept behind these non-verbal spells.  So Edward had to quickly figure out what exactly he had done those few times and imitate it, putting the incantation aside.

It wasn't long before he grasped the concept.  Ed grinned.

Draco's upper lip curled as he lowered his wand.  "I'm sick of this," he muttered.

He was just about to call for Snape's attention when Ed decided to put his theory into practice.  He waved his wand, aimed for Draco's mouth, and cast _silencio_ on him without saying a word.  Edward couldn't stop the grin from spreading across his face as he watched Draco try to call out for Snape, only to realize that he was unable to make a single sound.

"Weren't expectin' that, were ya?" he teased.  "What's wrong?  Cat got your tongue?  Speak up, Malfoy, I can't hear ya!"

The young Slytherin's grey eyes burned in rage.  Maybe he was just starting to go crazy from being around too many wizards, but Ed was starting to like magic.  Ed watched with an amused smirk as Draco flapped his lips and nothing came out.  A part of him wondered what the Malfoy heir was saying, but he decided that whatever it was, it couldn't be very important.  He thought he recognized the lip movements of Draco's lips as they formed various swear words.

After a while, Ed got bored of watching "angry Malfoy in mute" and turned to call the professor.  He had completed the task of the day and intended to leave that classroom as quickly as possible.  He opened his mouth to speak and suddenly found that his own voice was gone.  He had been jinxed!  His gold eyes wide in disbelief, Ed turned on Malfoy in rage.  Draco folded his arms over his chest and smirked while Ed's face began to turn a very bright shade of red.

It was really a very funny sight.  Two very angry, blonde Slytherin boys trying to scream at each other and failing.  Their eyes burned as they glared daggers at each other, silver clashing with gold.  The vicious sparks were practically visible.  But before either boy had the sense to realize that they could continue to hex each other in spite of the silence...

" _Protego_!"

A loud clatter was heard on the other side of the room.  Everyone in the class stopped what they were doing and turned to see what had happened.

It looked like Snape had been thrown across the room and slammed straight into a desk.  The culprit appeared to be none other than Harry Potter himself, who had the tip of his wand pointed right at the professor.  Harry didn't move an inch as he glared in Snape's direction, not even to lower his wand.

The professor scowled as he picked himself up off the desk.  "Do you remember me telling you we were practicing _non-verbal_ spells, Potter?"

"Yes," Harry answered stiffly, wand still raised.

Snape's expression turned even sourer.  "Yes _sir_ ," he corrected Harry sternly.

"There is no reason to call me 'sir,' Professor."

Ed was actually grateful that no sound was escaping from his throat, because he was unable to stop himself from laughing.  He didn't care what Draco and his lackeys said; from that comment alone, Ed knew he liked Harry.

Professor Snape, on the other hand, was not as amused as Edward.  "Detention, Potter," he snapped.  "Saturday night, my office."  He then added softly, "I do not take cheek from anyone.  Not even the _Chosen One_."

Everyone then slowly returned to their task except for Harry, who refused to move as Snape brushed angrily past him.  Ed was still smiling as the sallow-faced professor approached.  He looked at Ed and Draco, raising an eyebrow as Draco tried to speak and nothing came out.  Understanding what had happened, Snape shook his head in frustration and undid the _silencio_ spell that Ed had cast on him before continuing on his way.

Ed's eyes grew wide when Snape failed to do the same for him.  His expression soon changed from shock to anger as he watched the professor stalk around the room.  He had been ignored!  Ed balled his hands into fists at his sides, his eye twitching.  He _really_ didn’t like that man.  At all.

Draco's trademark smirk played on his lips as he looked at Ed.  The young alchemist turned back to Draco, folding his arms over his chest and narrowing his eyes.  He gritted his teeth and growled, muttering several insults that no one heard.  Much of it was directed at Draco.  He was feeling the need to knock that smirk off of his smug face.  He itched to clap his hands together and wrap the floor around Draco's body.  But he couldn't.  Ed once again cursed his job and his mission.

"What's the matter, shorty?" Draco mocked.  "You get overlooked there?  Professor Snape must not have been able to see you, since you're so little."

It was a lucky thing - a _very_ lucky thing - that Ed had been silenced.


	6. Name Dropping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "One of my best friends is Muggle-born, and she's the best in our year."

 

In spite of having been jinxed into silence, Ed's anti-short outburst seemed to have attracted a lot of attention.  It hadn’t helped that Ed very nearly hit another student with one of his heavier textbooks.  And judging by the look on Snape's face, he would have gotten a detention or some other, similar kind of punishment.  But for whatever reason, the professor only deducted a few points from the house (whatever _that_ accomplished) and undid the spell.

Zabini was having a good laugh about it all throughout lunch, and though Draco didn't say much, the smirk had not left his face since the end of class.  Edward decided not to say anything and just stuffed his face with all the amazing food that had appeared.  He was fed up with being polite around these people, and he didn't think he'd be able to keep the act up all year long.  Crabbe and Goyle were watching Ed eat with a mixture of shock and admiration on their faces.

After lunch they went back to the Slytherin dorm to kill some time before their next class, which was, for all of them but Crabbe and Goyle, N.E.W.T. level Potions.

"I say we skip Slughorn's class," Zabini proposed.

"But you were invited to his little club," Pansy teased.

"Exactly," the boy snapped.  "He irritates me.  I'd much prefer to stay away from that arse of a professor."

"You might as well go," Draco told him with a lazy shrug of his shoulders.  "It's only the first day of classes.  You can skip all you like after today."

Ed was starting to think that he definitely _was_ going crazy, because he found himself nodding his head in solid agreement.  Blaise just rolled his eyes.

"Whatever."

When the matter was settled, they went to their room to get the supplies that they needed for the class.  Sure enough, Dumbledore had taken care of all Ed's school supplies, which left him with quite a lot of odd things in the trunk.  Ed had to see what Blaise and Draco were pulling out so that he would know what to grab.  After taking note of what they were holding, Ed reached in and grabbed what he needed; a scale, a potion kit, and a small cauldron.  Ed nearly smiled at the cauldron as he pulled it out.

Seemed like some stereotypes were true after all.

They remained in the Slytherin common room for a little while longer, lounging on the couches by the fireplace and trying to ignore Pansy's pouting.  Ed was lying down on the couch, flipping through the pages of the _'Advanced Potion Making'_ textbook and skimming through the content.  Just reviewing really.  This had been one of the first books he had read through.  After all, potion making seemed very much like cooking and it had been said many times before that alchemy's roots could be found in the kitchen.  Potions couldn't be much different.

The potions classroom wasn't very far from the Slytherin common room, which made for a pleasantly short walk.  There weren't even many students waiting in the corridor by the time they arrived.  Judging by the crests on their robes, there were four Ravenclaws and a lone Hufflepuff gathered so far.  Draco, Pansy, Zabini, and Ed were soon joined by a weedy-looking Slytherin boy by the name of Theodore Nott, and not long after that, a familiar Gryffindor trio entered the corridor.  Once again, all the Slytherins (except Ed) glared at them.

The dungeon door soon opened and the round belly of Professor Slughorn preceded him out of the door.  Ed suppressed his laughter at the odd, walrus-like appearance of the Potions Master.  He beamed at Zabini and Harry with particular enthusiasm as everyone filed through the door.  Pansy poked Zabini in his side with a mischievous glint in her eyes and he scowled at her.

While finding a place to sit, Ed was overpowered by the numerous strange smells that emitted from the various bubbling cauldrons around the room.  He peered into each cauldron that they passed, trying to figure out what was contained in each of them.

"Now then, now then, now then," Slughorn said merrily as he walked to the front of the room.  "Scales out everyone, and potion kits, and don't forget your copies of _'Advanced Potion Making'_..."

All five Slytherins pulled out their materials as they settled in a row and laid them out on top of the table.  Ed made sure to watch the others carefully and copy what they did as they prepared their things.

"Sir?"

The professor looked over at the Gryffindors, where Harry had raised his hand into the air.  He nodded his head at him.

"Harry, m'boy?"

"I haven't got a book or scales or anything - nor's Ron," Harry informed him, gesturing to the red-headed boy beside him.  "We didn't realize we'd be able to do the N.E.W.T., you see-"

Professor Slughorn's face took on a thoughtful glaze.  "Ah, yes, Professor McGonagall did mention..."  He then smiled.  "Not to worry, my dear boy, not to worry at all.  You can use ingredients from the store cupboard today, and I'm sure we can lend you some scales, and we've got a small stock of old books here, they'll do until you can write to Flourish and Blott's..."

Malfoy snickered to the other Slytherins.  "We wouldn't want Potty and Weasel to fall behind now, would we?"

His band of followers all smirked at the comment, whereas Ed just leaned forward in his seat, resting his chin in his hands and rolling his eyes.  He watched Slughorn go to the corner cupboard and pull out two very battered-looking copies of the textbook and two sets of tarnished scales, both of which he gave to Harry and the boy named Ron.  Slughorn then resumed his position at the front of the classroom, inflating his already bulging chest so that the buttons on his waistcoat threatened to burst off.

"Now then," he said, "I've prepared a few potions for you to have a look at, just out of interest, you know.  These are the kind of thing you ought to be able to make after completing your N.E.W.T.s.  You ought to have heard of 'em, even if you haven't made 'em yet."  He then gestured toward the cauldron nearest the Slytherin table.  "Anyone tell me what this one is?"

Ed craned his neck to see what was inside the cauldron.  What looked to be nothing more than plain water was boiling away inside it.  Rather disappointed, he slumped back into his seat and groaned.

"Isn't it just boiling water?" Ed asked disinterestedly.

Pansy laughed ostentatiously as though it was the funniest thing she had ever heard.  A few other students around the classroom laughed as well.  Slughorn, on the other hand, blinked in confusion.  Ed was equally confused by the laughter and looked around at his other classmates.

"What?"

"It's Veritaserum," a girl called from somewhere behind him.  "A colorless, odorless potion that forces the drinker to tell the truth."

Ed turned to look at who had spoken and recognized the same brown-haired girl from his earlier Defense Against the Dark Arts class.  She glanced at Ed with an almost snobbish look in her eyes, giving him a curt smile and a shallow nod, clearly pleased to have corrected him.  There was a bossy air about her that seemed a little too familiar to Ed.

"Very good, very good," Slughorn said happily.  "Now," he continued, pointing at the cauldron nearest the Ravenclaw table, "this one here is pretty well known... Featured in a few ministry leaflets lately, too... Who can-"

The girl interrupted.  "It's Polyjuice Potion, sir."  

Ed rolled his eyes.  "Obviously," he muttered to no one in particular.

"Excellent, excellent!  Now, this one here..."  Slughorn had barely gestured toward the cauldron before the same girl shot her hand into the air.  "Yes, my dear?"

"It's Amortentia!"

"It is indeed.  It seems almost foolish to ask," said Slughorn who was looking mightily impressed, "but I assume you know what it does?"

She smiled.  "It's the most powerful love potion in the world!"

Draco cocked an eyebrow at this.  Pansy suddenly looked _very_ excited, which was a very peculiar and somewhat disturbing thing to see.  She kept looking coyly at Draco, trying to catch his attention and failing miserably.

"Quite right!  You recognized it, I suppose, by its distinctive mother-of-pearl sheen?"

The girl was just about to open her mouth to speak when she was cut off.

"You can also tell from the rising steam," Ed said loudly.  When Slughorn looked at him curiously, he pointed over at the cauldron.  "Characteristic spirals."

The Potion Master's eyebrows arched upward, impressed.  "Very keen observation, lad."

Everyone seemed rather stunned, and the bushy-haired girl looked somewhat insulted.  She raised her hand back into the air eagerly.  The professor turned back to her.

"Something else to add, m'dear?"

" _And_ it's supposed to smell differently to each of us," she said enthusiastically, "according to what attracts us, and I can smell freshly mown grass and new parchment and..."

Her voice trailed off and she blushed furiously.  From out of the corner of his eye Ed noticed Draco glance over at the girl, an unreadable expression on his face.

"May I ask your name my dear?" Slughorn said, ignoring the girl's embarrassment.

She smiled proudly.  "Hermione Granger, sir."

"Granger?" Slughorn repeated thoughtfully.  "Granger?"

Ed's eyebrows furrowed.  That sounded so familiar somehow.  But why...?

"Can you possibly be related to Hector Dagworth-Granger," Slughorn asked her, "who founded the Most Extraordinary Society of Potioneers?"

 _'No, no, that's not it,'_ Ed corrected him in his mind.  He’d read about that somewhere but he was sure that this was unrelated.

The girl named Hermione lowered her gaze and shook her head.  "No, I don't think so, sir.  I'm Muggle-born, you see."

Malfoy leaned closer to Nott, muttering something to him under his breath and they both sniggered.  Ed glanced over at them absently, still mulling over the girl's name.  And what on Earth was _that_ all about?  Meanwhile Slughorn had looked over at Harry, who was sitting right next to Hermione, and his face suddenly lit up.

"Oho!" he exclaimed excitedly.  " _'One of my best friends is Muggle-born, and she's the best in our year!'_ I'm assuming this is the very friend of whom you spoke, Harry?"

"Yes, sir," said Harry, smiling.

And that’s when it hit him.  Ed suddenly had a very vivid flashback of him rolling around in his bed, trying desperately to sleep, while his roommates...  He straightened abruptly in his seat and nearly sprang up out of it, his eyes wide and bright.

"GRANGER!" he shouted with wild recognition.  He immediately turned on Draco.  "Granger!  That's the one you were talking about last night, right?"

The entire class was stunned, all eyes turning toward the two blonde Slytherins.  Draco was clearly taken aback as he stared at Ed in horrified rage.

"What the _bloody hell_ are you-"

"Last night!  You wouldn’t shut up about her!"

Draco didn't seem to be able to decide whether he should vomit or die on the spot.  Pansy looked horrified.  Zabini, on the other hand, could be seen with a wide, amused grin plastered across his face like someone just told his favorite joke.  Ed couldn’t help but be pleased with himself for remembering and glanced back at Hermione.  She looked heavily perplexed as she turned to Harry and Ron on either side of her, both of whom wore identical confused expressions.  Ed suddenly wondered if he had said something wrong.

"And _your_ name, lad?" Slughorn said, breaking the shocked, tense silence.  He seemed unperturbed by the sudden outburst.

He turned to look back at the professor.  "Edward Elric."

Slughorn appeared thoughtful for a second, then beamed quite suddenly.  "Ah, yes, of course!  The exchange student from the school in Germany!"

Ed forced a smile, the corners of his lips twitching.  "Uh... yeah."

"I heard about you from Dumbledore himself!  A brilliant mind, he told me, a brilliant mind.  Quite like Miss Granger here, are you?"

Hermione and Ed looked over at each other and smiled as politely as they could.  He wasn't quite sure what to think of her, though he did have to admit that she was kind of pretty.  If Draco carried some kind of interest in her, then he couldn't be blamed.  Ed shot another glance at Draco as he sank back into his seat and noticed a tinge of envy in his grey eyes.

"Twenty points to both Slytherin and Gryffindor," Slughorn said jovially as he returned to teaching.  "Amortentia doesn't really create _love_ , of course.  It is impossible to manufacture or imitate love.  No, this will simply cause a powerful infatuation or obsession.  It is probably the most dangerous and powerful potion in this room - oh yes."  He nodded gravely toward Nott and Blaise, both of whom were smirking skeptically.  "When you have seen as much of life as I have, you will not underestimate the power of obsessive love...  And now, it is time for us to start work."

"Sir, you haven't told us what's in this one," said the only Hufflepuff in the class, pointing at a small black cauldron on Slughorn's desk.

The potion in question was the color of molten gold, and large drops were splashing about in an almost cheerful manner above the surface, though not a single particle had spilled.  Ed stared at it for a moment, matching it to descriptions and images he'd found in the textbooks.  He was absolutely sure that he'd come across that potion somewhere before.

"Oho," said Slughorn again.  "Yes.  That.  Well, _that_ one, ladies and gentlemen, is a most curious little potion called Felix Felicis.  I take it either Mr. Elric or Miss Granger can tell me what it does?"

"It's liquid luck," Hermione answered proudly without missing a beat.  "It makes you lucky!"

Everyone suddenly sat up a little straighter, now at full attention.  

"But if taken in great amounts," Ed countered, "it tends to make people reckless, giddy, and dangerously overconfident.  Not to mention it can be highly toxic.  Too much of a good thing."

Slughorn beamed again.  "Excellent!  Take another ten points for your houses, both of you.  Yes, it's a funny little potion, Felix Felicis, desperately tricky to make, and disastrous to get wrong.  However, if brewed correctly, as this has been, you will find that all your endeavors tend to succeed... at least until the effects wear off."

"Have you ever taken it, sir?" one of the Ravenclaws asked with great interest.

"Twice in my life," said Slughorn.  "Once when I was twenty-four, once when I was fifty-seven.  Two tablespoonfuls taken with breakfast.  Two perfect days."  The professor stared off dreamily into the distance for a moment before continuing.  "And that is what I shall be offering as a prize in this lesson."

Everyone fell silent.  The only thing that could be heard was the bubble and gurgle of the surrounding potions in their cauldrons.  Even the Slytherins looked intrigued, leaning forward slightly in their seats.

"One tiny bottle of Felix Felicis," the professor said, pulling out a small glass bottle out of his pocket and showing it to the students.  "Enough for twelve hours' luck.  From dawn till dusk, you'll be lucky in everything you attempt."  He placed it on his desk, and everyone's eyes followed it, unable to tear their gazes away.  "Now, I must give you warning that Felix Felicis is a banned substance in organized competitions... sporting events, for instance, examinations, or elections.  So the winner is to use it on an ordinary day only... and watch how that ordinary day becomes extraordinary!"

Zabini and Nott looked annoyed at the warning and leaned back in their seats, scowling.  Ed smirked, knowing how disappointing it must have been for them to find out that it wouldn't help them on tests.  His smirk slowly faded away when he realized that this meant Ed was _definitely_ going to get used for his smarts.  He didn't like that, and once again vowed revenge.  Why couldn’t they just take it to that Granger girl instead?

"So," Slughorn went on, suddenly brisk, "how are you to win my fabulous prize?  Well, by turning to page ten of _'Advanced Potion Making.'_ We have a little over an hour left to us, which should be time for you to make a decent attempt at the Draught of Living Death.  I know it is more complex than anything you have attempted before, and I do not expect a perfect potion from anybody.  The person who does best, however, will win little Felix here.  Off you go!"

Everyone set to work; they pulled their cauldrons toward them and some began adding weights to their scales in complete silence.  The concentration within the room was almost tangible.  Ed could see Draco riffling feverishly through his textbook.  He almost laughed aloud.Clearly, Malfoy really wanted that lucky day.

Ed flipped to the right page in the book and glanced over the instructions.  With a resigned sigh, he rose to his feet and followed the others to the student cupboard to get the ingredients.  Everyone seemed to be in a terrible hurry, competing with one another to get the prized golden liquid.  Ed didn't really mind.  Sure, his luck always seemed to run bad.  It would be nice to go on a lucky streak for a change, but resorting to magic?  He wasn't that desperate.

As he returned to his seat with the ingredients, he saw Malfoy cutting up valerian roots as fast as he could.  He smirked as he set off to work as well, sitting next to him.  He actually didn't mind this so much.  It was much like the older forms of alchemy; gathering materials, measuring things out precisely, following instructions...  Ed had never been much of a cook, but this was easy for him.  Draco glanced up at Ed briefly as he sat down, rather annoyed that he was so laid-back, before returning to his feverish pace.  Ed had to wonder why Draco was so desperate for luck.

Everyone kept glancing around at what their classmates were doing.  Ed realized that this was both an advantage and disadvantage of potions; it was hard to keep your work private.  Within the first ten minutes, the whole room was full of bluish steam.  Ed couldn't help but notice Draco getting increasingly frustrated as his potion didn't seem to be faring as well as he wanted it to.  He kept casting sideways glances at Ed's cauldron and muttering something under his breath.  Ed furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Draco's potion, trying to figure out why he was so upset.  It looked fine to him.  Sure, it seemed like Ed had found a natural affinity for what they were doing, but Draco's irritation was unfounded.

After a few more minutes, Draco looked up at Slughorn as he passed their table.

"Sir," he called, catching the professor's attention, "I think you knew my grandfather, Abraxas Malfoy?"

"Yes," said Slughorn without looking at Draco.  "I was sorry to hear that he had died, although of course it wasn't unexpected, dragon pox at his age..."

With that, he walked away from the table and left them to their work.  Draco made an annoyed face before turning back to his cauldron.  Ed smirked.  Obviously, Draco had expected to be treated like Harry or Zabini, or at least be recognized somehow the way Ed and Hermione had.  Perhaps he had even hoped for preferential treatment, having grown up rich and spoiled.  This certainly explained the envious look he had given Ed earlier.  It looked like Draco had no choice but to rely on talent alone to win the bottle of Felix Felicis.

While Ed stirred his potion, he took the time to look around at his classmates.  A few people seemed to be struggling, including Harry's friend Ron who looked as though the work was paining him.  Harry seemed to be doing fine.  Better, in fact, than Hermione, who kept giving him and the potion in his cauldron incredulous looks.  Everyone else was stirring their cauldrons and, just like Ed, looking around to see how people were doing.

"And time's... up!" called Slughorn.  "Stop stirring, please!"

Everyone stopped at once and leaned back slightly in their seats.  The professor moved slowly among the tables, peering into cauldrons.  He didn't say a word as he did so, but gave the potions an occasional stir or sniff.  Slughorn gave Ed and Draco's potions an approving nod and moved on.  Draco seemed upset that he got nothing more than that and folded his arms angrily over his chest.  When Slughorn reached Harry's cauldron, a look of incredulous delight appeared on his face.

"A clear winner!" he cried to the rest of the dungeon.  "Excellent, excellent, Harry!"

Draco's head snapped around and he practically sprang out of his seat, shooting a vicious glare at Harry.  The other Slytherins were also fuming, but they turned their heads in a much slower manner than Draco had.  Ed still didn't understand their contempt toward the poor kid as he watched Harry look at everyone's faces, seemingly unable to decide between feeling happy or guilty.

"Good lord, it's clear you've inherited your mother's talent," Slughorn continued to praise.  "She was a dab hand at Potions, Lily was!  Here you are, then, here you are - one bottle of Felix Felicis, as promised, and use it well!"

Malfoy slowly lowered himself back into his seat, but the cold, hateful glare in his eyes didn't fade for a second. Ed watched him critically, a frown on his face.

 

Draco and his gang were all grumbling and scowling as they walked back to the Slytherin common room together.

"He must have cheated somehow," Draco muttered.  "How else do you explain it?"

"You heard him," Pansy sneered.  "It was luck.  Dumb luck, is all."

"Maybe he's just got talent," Ed said with a shrug.  "Give him some credit."

All of their heads snapped around to look at him at the same time.  They halted in their tracks and gaped at him as though he'd sprouted a second head.  He kept walking, but came to a stop when he realized that they were no longer moving.  Ed glanced back at them quizzically.

"What?"

After a fleeting moment of silence, they burst into laughter.

"That's a good one, Eddy!" Pansy giggled, playfully flicking at the tuft of hair that stuck out from the top of Ed's head.

"The only talent _he_ has is flashing that bloody scar of his wherever he goes."

"Potter actually having talent... That's rich!"

They then continued their walk, laughing heartily.  Ed just rolled his eyes and shut his mouth.  He knew exactly what it felt like to be underestimated and made fun of, and this conversation was making him like these Slytherins even less.

"What's the big deal, anyway?" Ed muttered as they walked on.  "So he won a bottle of lucky potion.  What do you care?"

Draco's expressions seemed to darken.  "It's the bloody principle of the thing."

Ed wasn't sure he bought that answer for a second.

"There's  _loads_ of things you could do if you had a potion like that on your side," Pansy said with a wistful sigh.  "Just think of it!  And having it go to Potter is just such a waste."

"Yeah, but did you _see_ the look on Granger's face?" Blaise said with a pointed look at Draco.  "Speaking of Granger, Elric caused quite a stir there, didn't he, Draco?"

Draco shot a glare at Blaise.  "Get your mind out of the gutter, Zabini."

They bickered the entire way to the Slytherin dungeons.  Pansy was clearly bothered by this change of subject, nostrils flaring as she pressed her lips together.  Ed, on the other hand, stroked his chin thoughtfully, a mischievous smile slowly creeping onto his face.

_'Hermione Granger... Hmm...'_

  



	7. A "Friendly" Game of Poker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> No one takes advantage of Edward Elric.

 

Zabini groaned inwardly as he stared at the words written in the textbook.  Edward glanced up from his book just in time to see the Slytherin scratch his head in frustration.  Actually, most of the Slytherins had been doing that very same thing for some time now as they did their homework.  Or rather, as they  _ tried  _ to do their homework.  Draco seemed to be doing just fine on his own, even if he did have his mental blocks every now and again.  Pansy was also fine, though she was getting help from a few other Slytherin girls on the other side of the common room.  Crabbe and Goyle were helping one another and not getting anywhere while Zabini seemed to have been trapped on the same two pages of his book for the past half hour.

The first day of classes was officially over and they had just come back from eating dinner in the Great Hall.  The Slytherin common room was filled with students of all years struggling with their homework.  Or at least, it was.  Over the last hour or so, some had given up and went back to the dormitories to sleep or find some other way to kill time while the rest remained, Draco and the gang among them.  Ed stayed in the common room only to fulfill his mission duties and kept himself busy with another of his books.

"Done yet?" Ed asked Zabini, even though he already knew the answer.

He just looked over at Ed with an exasperated expression on his face.  Ed smiled innocently, turning to the next page of his book.  Zabini squinted at the book in Ed's hands, which was entitled  _ 'The Complexity of Numerology _ . _ ' _

"What are  _ you  _ doing?"

"Some light reading," Ed answered offhandedly.

" _ That _ ?"  Zabini pointed at Ed's book.  "You call  _ that... light  _ reading?"

The young alchemist just shrugged his shoulders.

"Where's your homework gone?"

"Oh, I finished that hours ago," said Ed, waving one hand dismissively.  "Not like it was hard or anything."

A few Slytherins around the room within earshot cast a few amazed glances in Ed's direction.  Edward just ignored them and continued with his reading.  A smile slowly crept onto Zabini's face and he tapped Crabbe and Goyle lightly on the shoulder.  All three Slytherins grinned evilly, standing up and walking over to join Ed on the couch.

"So it was easy, eh, Elric?"

Ed shot them an annoyed glance, considering kicking them off the couch.  "What'd I just say?"

They leaned toward him slightly, lowering their voices.  "Mind giving us a few pointers, then?"

The book in Ed's hands was slowly lowered into his lap.  He raised an eyebrow at the looks on their faces and then rolled his eyes.   _ 'Here we go.' _

"Well?" Crabbe/Goyle urged.

"Well what?" Ed said, determined to get back to his reading.

"Are you going to help us?"

"Show us how it's done, Elric!"

An oddly hopeful (or maybe even desperate) look was on all of the Slytherins' faces, Crabbe and Goyle in particular.  Ed just stared them straight in the eye for a long, silent moment and then turned back to his book.

"No."

They looked disappointed.  "Aw, why not?"

"Why should I help any of you?" he snorted.

"We're your fellow Slytherins!" said Crabbe/Goyle.

"We're mates!"

"I've known you for thirty-six hours."

"Come on, Elric," Zabini insisted.  "Share the knowledge."

Ed snorted, annoyed.  A part of him wanted very much to transmute their clothes to wrap around their faces, just to shut them up.  He still hadn't been able to prank Zabini for plotting this abuse of his brilliant mind, either.  Then, suddenly, he felt like a light bulb had lit up over his head.  He did his best not to grin as he shut his book and put it on the table.

"Okay then," he said slowly.  Their eyes seemed to light up.  "But on one condition."

They looked to one another, puzzled.  "What's that?"

Slowly, Ed rose to his feet, his eyes hidden by his long bangs.  It was unnecessarily dramatic, but Ed relished in the effect he had created as Zabini, Crabbe, and Goyle watched him intently.  He then flashed them an almost wicked grin.

"A poker game."

Crabbe and Goyle stared at him dumbly.  "Poker?"

" _ Poker _ ?" Zabini echoed, raising an eyebrow.  "What's poker?"

"I've heard of that before," Draco chimed in from where he was working on his Arithmancy essay.  Everyone looked over at him as he raised his grey eyes from the parchment.  "Muggle game, isn't it?"

"A Muggle game?" Zabini looked at both Ed and Draco incredulously.  "How do you two know of a Muggle game?"

Ed had no idea what he was talking about, but thankfully, Draco did.  The white-blonde rolled his eyes as though he didn't enjoy recalling the memory.

"Muggle studies class," he muttered.

"Same," Ed lied.

Glancing at the perplexed expressions on the faces of his friends and followers, Draco turned away from his essay with an exasperated sigh.  He took on a thoughtful look for a moment, choosing his words carefully before speaking.

"Poker is a card game.  Basically, you get five cards each.  Certain combinations of cards are better than others, and the person who has the stronger combination wins..."

He continued to explain the basics and rules of poker to them, the three Slytherins nodding their heads as they listened.  Zabini seemed to understand perfectly, but Crabbe and Goyle were confused as ever.  In spite of the simplistic terms that Draco had used in his explanation, none of it seemed to stick in their dim minds.  Ed was impressed that Draco knew so much about poker, but it was somewhat hard to believe that something so trivial had been taught in a class.  When the explanation was finished, Ed cleared his throat loudly, bringing everyone's attention back on him.

"These are the conditions," he announced.  "If  _ I  _ win, you guys leave me alone and do your work yourselves.  In the unlikely event that  _ you  _ win, I'll help you three with your homework."  Ed's grin grew.  "Deal?"

Zabini grinned back.  "Alright.  But I'll play for all three of us.  That fine by you?"

The young blonde shrugged.  "Sounds fair enough."

Crabbe and Goyle looked rather relieved to hear that and patted Zabini heartily on the back.  Only Draco understood that Ed had insulted them with that comment, insinuating that the three of them combined were hardly worth him alone, and smirked.  He brought his essay over to where Ed and his lackeys were playing, having decided to watch the game.  It promised to be interesting.  This certainly wasn't something that happened everyday.

"Right then!" Zabini said, enthusiastically rubbing his hands together.  "Let's get started!"

The alchemist grinned again.

 

"I'll change two."

Ed grabbed two cards and put them into his hand.  He groaned inwardly, disappointed with the hand that he had.  Winning a game of poker against Zabini should have been easy, but it seemed like he was just as natural with poker as Al was.  Ed shifted his gaze from his junk hand of cards to Zabini, who was also looking at his cards intently.  He seemed to be deep in thought.

A small crowd of Slytherins had gathered to watch, their homework now abandoned on the floor and on desks.  Crabbe and Goyle seemed to be completely dumbfounded, their eyes wide and their mouths hanging slightly agape.  Draco had finally finished his essay and was also watching the game from the couch, lounging casually on his side with his head propped up by his arm. 

"Hurry up already," Ed muttered, annoyed.

"Right," Zabini said.  "Changing two as well."

He reached over, picked up two cards and inserted them into his hand.  An excited glint could be seen in his dark eyes at which Ed scowled.  He looked back down at his cards.

"Say Elric, what say we double the bet?"

Ed didn't look up.  "Whatever you say."

Zabini smirked as he laid down his cards, revealing three of a kind and a pair.  "Sorry, Elric.  Full house."

The other Slytherins looked impressed, some of them applauding the feat.  Though Crabbe and Goyle didn't understand what was going on, they started to congratulate Zabini.  The boy leaned back, a smug look on his face.  Ed looked at the cards that were spread out on the table with a frown.

"You're good, Zabini."

This caused another ripple of excitement and more congratulations and praise was sent in Zabini's direction.  However, Ed was undeterred as he adjusted his hold on his cards.

"But... you're just not good enough."

Everyone stopped talking, turning to look at Ed with their eyes wide.  Zabini's face fell slowly as Ed laid his cards out on the table.  One by one, the cards were revealed to be a ten, a Jack, a Queen, a King, and an Ace, all in spades.

"Royal straight flush."

Draco raised an astonished eyebrow then smirked as a realization dawned on him.  Everyone else yelled out in surprise, throwing their hands up into the air.  Zabini's eyes went wide and his jaw dropped visibly.  Crabbe and Goyle looked at one another, then over at their representative.

"Did... we lose?"

"Of  _ course  _ you lost," Draco muttered as he sat up straight on the couch.  "A royal flush is the best hand you can get in poker, you gits."

Zabini groaned, leaning back and running his hands through his hair.  Ed just grinned as he gathered the cards and shuffled them once.

"Best two out of three," Zabini haggled, springing back.

"No can do," Ed told him with a shake of his head.  "We made a deal, remember?  Equivalent exchange, after all."

"What the bloody hell's  _ that  _ supposed to mean?" he snapped, rising to his feet to leave.  "Equivalent exchange my  _ arse _ ."

As everyone left the common room, heading back to the dorms now that the show was over, Ed shuffled the cards in his hands and considered playing solitaire for a little while.  Draco was the last one left.  He stood up from the couch and walked over to Ed.  The young alchemist flicked his braid over his shoulder as he turned to look at Draco.

"What else have you got up your sleeve, Elric?"

Ed flinched ever so slightly at the words.  "I don't know what you're talking about," he answered, feigning innocence.

Draco reached over and grabbed Ed's left arm.  He rolled the sleeve up and several cards fell to the stone floor.  He smirked, looking at all the aces of spades that had been tucked away in his robes and finally released Ed's wrist.  Ed stared at the cards on the floor.

"How did those get there?" he said, his voice awkwardly high.

"You're lucky Zabini didn't notice," Malfoy said as he walked away, grabbing his parchment.  "But next time, try to be more discreet."  He paused before ascending the stairs to the dorm.  "On the other hand... Nice going.  Looks like there's a  _ little _ Slytherin in you after all."

Ed jumped up and stomped one foot on the ground.  "WHO DID YOU SAY WAS SMALL LIKE A GRAIN OF RICE AND DOESN'T SHOW UP IN YOUR EYES?!"

Draco smirked again and disappeared up the stairs.  Ed waited for the sound of his footsteps to fade away and then hung his head with a groan.

"I can't believe I got caught," he mumbled to himself.

He sighed again as he gathered all the cards (including the ones on the floor) and tucked them away.  Ed turned to look at the fire for a moment before what Draco had told him began to sink in.  His face twisted in disappointment and he began to scratch his head furiously with both hands.

"GAH!  I DON'T WANNA BE SLYTHERIN!"

 

The next week of school passed without much trouble... except for Edward having problems with his Transfiguration class.  The idea of being able to turn living things into inanimate objects and vice versa was unnerving for an alchemist such as himself.  During the last class, he had vehemently protested against transfiguring a tiny mouse into a tall vase, refusing to do  _ anything  _ to another living being.  When McGonagall asked why, Ed just gave her an insolent shake of his head and folded his arms over his chest stubbornly.  He had wound up with a detention.

Charms class was a bit unsettling to Ed as well, simply because of all the required wand work.  No matter how many times he used magic, he still insisted on finding a logical explanation to how it worked.  He continued to pour over his books during their breaks, searching for answers to his questions.  He had yet to find any.

Apart from that, Ed was starting to get used to his surroundings.  Hogwarts was definitely a very bizarre place.  Sometimes the paintings would start talking to Ed as he walked by and the ghosts that just wandered about the halls aimlessly still made him nervous.  It was as though everything that he no longer believed in existed here, and it really had Ed rattled for the first few days.  But he was slowly starting to get used to it, having reduced his reaction from a shocked jump backward to an eye twitch.

As Ed followed Draco and his friends to dinner, they were stopped in the entrance way by Professor Slughorn.

"Mr. Zabini, Mr. Elric!" he greeted them eagerly, puffing out his enormous belly and twiddling with his moustache.  "Just who I've been hoping to see.  I was hoping to catch you before dinner!  What do you say to a spot of supper tonight in my rooms instead?  We're having a little party, just a few rising stars, I've got McLaggen coming and the charming Melinda Bobbin -"

"Sorry, sir," Ed interrupted politely, "but I've got detention with Professor McGonagall."

"Oh dear, that's too bad," Slughorn frowned.  He then turned to Blaise.  "How about you, Mr. Zabini?"

"Oh, uh, I..." Zabini took a step back, frantically searching his mind for some kind of excuse and failing miserably.  "Um... Sure.  I suppose I can-"

"Excellent!" the professor boomed.  "Yes, well then, I'll see you there!"

He then bustled out of the Hall.  Zabini groaned, saying something angrily under his breath.  Draco screwed up his face as he watched Slughorn walk away.  He then turned on Zabini and glared, which was returned with a dumbfounded look.  With a loud snort, Draco turned on his heel and stormed into the Great Hall.  Pansy looked between everyone for a few confused moments before chasing after Draco.  Ed and Blaise were left behind, a confused expression on Blaise's face.

"Don't know what his problem is," Zabini sighed.  "I'd give anything to trade places with him.  Like I  _ really  _ want to have supper with that arse  _ Slughorn _ ."

Ed shrugged his shoulders and slowly entered the Great Hall.  Before he got too far he turned back around, a mocking grin plastered across his face as he waved with false enthusiasm. 

"Have fun!"

He then left Zabini fuming in the entrance way behind him.


	8. Encounters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry Potty and his Band of Merry Losers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay on this one!! Life has been pretty busy, but I'm trying to get back into the swing of things. :)

Going to the owlery first thing in the morning probably wasn't the best idea.  The arctic air of autumn was rendering Ed's face weather-beaten as he ascended the West Tower and he pulled his red jacket tighter around his body.  His head felt groggy and a part of him was cursing himself for waking up so early.  It was the weekend; he had no classes to go to, and he should have been free.  The only problem was that every single day Ed spent in Hogwarts, he was on duty.  When classes were done, that meant it was time for military duties to come back into play.  He growled at the rolled up parchment in his hand as he trudged up the steps.  His first report to headquarters.

He had merely written about the conversation Draco and his friends had on the train ride over to Hogwarts, confirming the fact that Draco was indeed a good lead on Voldemort.  Ed also wrote about Snape, how he seemed to be a Dark Arts lover and was overall suspicious, and about Hermione Granger, who seemed to have some kind of connection with Draco.  Other than that, there wasn't much to be said.  The entire report was, as Ed had grown accustomed to doing since he became a state alchemist, encoded, in order to keep it inconspicuous and safe from interception.

Ed blinked slowly as he entered the owlery at the top of the tower, looking around sleepily for Eule, the tiny barn owl that Mustang had sent to him.  He then approached her slowly, still wary of her from their first encounter in the Great Hall.  Sure enough, as soon as Ed came close she tried to peck at his right arm, but he had been expecting it and quickly moved his hand away.  Too sleepy to do much of anything else, he just glared at Eule.

"Dumb bird," he muttered.  "I'm not lettin' you rip my clothes whenever you want."

The owl seemed rather insulted to have missed her target, ruffling up her feathers.  Ed removed the glove on his right hand and rolled up his sleeve before reaching toward Eule a second time, expecting her to peck at his arm again.  However, it seemed like Eule had just wanted to see Edward's auto-mail, as she merely tilted her head to the side and hopped a little bit closer.  Ed blinked slowly and then smiled.

"I get it.  Someone must have trained you to recognize me by my auto-mail."

He patted the top of Eule's head, amused by this cleverly trained owl.  Ed then took out his report and unrolled it again.  He transmuted something to write with and used it to add an extra note to the bottom of his report:   _Good job training the owl._

With a small, satisfied smile, Ed rolled the parchment back up and attached it to Eule's leg.  The owl seemed to understand this perfectly and immediately hopped toward the nearest opening and took off for East City Headquarters.  Ed watched Eule go for a moment, pulling his glove back on his auto-mail hand and tugging the sleeves of his jacket down.  He then picked up the small pen he had transmuted and fiddled with it for a moment between his fingers.

It seemed wrong to have been out of contact with his brother for so long, especially when he'd expressed such curiosity about the assignment. He'd want to hear all about it, and Edward wasn't about to deny that to him.  So with a firm nod to himself, Ed searched for some more parchment or something to write on and then began.

 

_Dear Al,_

_Hogwarts is probably one of the weirdest places I've ever been to.  You wouldn't believe the stuff they've got over here.  There are "ghosts" wandering around, and the people in the paintings can move and talk when you pass by. Yes, they actually talk to you.  I can't explain it besides "Magic!", but maybe I'll get to actually show you sometime. _

_So I've been learning magic over here.  It's really weird.  I can do it, there isn't really a problem there, but that in itself doesn't make any sense.  There's no equivalent exchange anywhere!  I already got detention when I questioned one of the teachers about it.  I've been reading all these books, trying to figure this whole magic thing out.  By all accounts, it_ _shouldn't  work, but it does!  When all this is over I'm breaking this dumb stick in half and getting to the bottom of it._

_Apart from the weird stuff, everything's going fine over here... I guess.  That Draco kid is a giant prick and his friends are one hell of an annoying bunch.  Especially this girl that keeps playing with my hair.  They keep making fun of this kid named Harry Potter.  No idea what their problem is.  I think he's alright, from what I've seen of him so far._

_There's also this girl, Hermione Granger.  Seems like she's pretty much the brain around here and everyone knows it.  Not too sure about this, but Draco seems to have some kind of thing for her.  Every time her name comes up, he starts acting weird.  Can't say I blame him, I mean, she's pretty and all, and really smart... uh... Not a word of this goes out to Winry, okay?  I'm just saying._

_Hope everything's okay on your end.  I know this owl thing is weird, but it's the only way to send mail from here.  Maybe it's a Britain thing.  Well, that's it for now.  Say hi to Winry for me._

_-Ed_

 

Happy to have finally gotten some of his thoughts out, Ed rolled the sheet of paper up and attached it to the leg of one of the other owls.  He watched as the owl set off for Amestris with a small, pleased smile on his face.

 

Since it was a Saturday morning, the Slytherin common room was empty; everyone was still in the dorms fast asleep.  Everyone, that is, except for Edward.  He was seated comfortably by the fireplace, warming himself up after his journey to the top of the West Tower.  There was a copy of the _Daily Prophet_ in his hands, which he was flipping through slowly.  One particular article had caught his attention; he had gone over it again and again since the first time he read it.  It mentioned a recent search of the Malfoy residence conducted by the Office for the Detection and Confiscation of Counterfeit Defense Spells and Protective Objects, acting upon a confidential tip-off.  Apparently nothing had come out of it, but just the fact that the Malfoy home had been searched for dangerous items...

Ed sighed as he finally rolled up the newspaper and rose to his feet.  He pulled out his silver pocket watch to check the time.  It was almost 9:30; the other students would probably be waking up soon to go to the Great Hall for breakfast.  After that, most of them would probably go right back to the dorms to sleep.  Just thinking about that made Ed feel like sleeping again.  With a loud yawn, Ed stuffed his watch back into his pocket and went back to the dorm room.

Unfortunately for Ed, as soon as he entered, Draco and Zabini clambered out of their beds.  His shoulders dropped and Ed hung his head.

"Can't you guys go back to sleep for another ten minutes?"

Neither of them answered.  Zabini stretched his arms out and yawned while Draco pulled out his robes to change.  Crabbe and Goyle were starting to stir in their beds as well.  Ed groaned, dragging himself over to his bed and flopping himself upon it face first.  The others just looked at him from under their half-shut eyelids.

"What were you up so early for?" Zabini mumbled sleepily.

"Muhh reeffun," came Ed's response from within his mattress.

"What?"

Ed rolled his head over.  "No reason," he said again.  "I just couldn't sleep, I guess."

Draco pointed tiredly at Ed's clothes.  "Why aren't you wearing your robes?"

"Didn't feel like it.  We don't have any classes today, so I figured it wouldn't matter."

The young Slytherin shook his head disapprovingly as he rose to his feet.  Ed groaned inwardly.  He was starting to remind him of the colonel.  Draco then eyed the rolled up newspaper that Ed was still hanging onto.  Noticing this Ed simply raised the newspaper, extending it toward him.

"Here.  I'm done reading it."

Zabini looked over at them both, the sleep still in his eyes.  "Didn't know you lot read the news.  What happened, then?  Anyone get murdered last night?"

Both teenagers groaned at Zabini's ignorance.  Malfoy reached over to snatch the paper from Ed's hands and then marched off to change into his robes.  Ed watched him go from where he was still lying on the bed, wondering why he left the room since Zabini just changed next to his bed.  He dismissed it as yet another of Draco's rich boy eccentricities and shut his eyes in an attempt to take a quick nap before everyone was ready and they went to the Great Hall.

It wasn't long before the entire Slytherin group (and Ed) was walking down the corridors to get something to eat, looking relatively intimidating as they did so.  Strangely enough, Draco could not be found in the middle of the group as he usually was.  In fact, he seemed somewhat disconnected from them, a thoughtful glaze over his silver eyes.  But everyone was so busy laughing amongst themselves and bullying anyone who crossed their path that none of them noticed Draco's behavior except for Ed.  After all, it was his job to take note of any strange behavior.

_'Wonder if this has anything to do with that article...'_

He glanced over at Draco and watched him carefully for a moment before turning away.  Ed and Draco remained silent as they walked to the Great Hall, both seemingly lost in their own heads.  If Draco's strange behavior did happen to concern the newspaper article, then it wasn't much to worry about.  Who wouldn't be shocked to find out that their house had been searched?  But on the other hand...  The other Slytherins just went on their way without giving it a second thought.

It was only when they arrived at the entrance to the Great Hall that they really noticed.

"Where's Drakey?" Pansy squealed, looking around her in a panic.

Crabbe/Goyle slowly turned around, his eyes sweeping up and down the corridor.  "Wasn't he just here?"

Pansy shuffled her feet anxiously, wringing her hands.  "Ooh... Where did he go?"

"Could he have gotten lost?"

Zabini smacked the Crabbe/Goyle that spoke upside the head.  "Since when does Malfoy ever get himself lost?"

"Draco...!" Pansy whimpered.  "Where are you?"

Ed also looked up and down the corridor, his brow furrowed.  He mentally cursed himself for not realizing that his charge had vanished - and, of course, for having such a stupid job in the first place.  And if Pansy was going to continue to worry about Draco in that annoying high-pitched voice of hers, Ed would have to wring her neck.  With an annoyed groan, Ed started down the corridor.

"I'll go look for him," he said, hoping he sounded sincerely helpful.  "You guys go to breakfast."

Crabbe/Goyle blinked in shock.  "You're not eating, then?"

The mere mention of food made Ed's stomach growl.  He ignored the complaints of his stomach as he turned back to the others and smirked slightly.  "I'll eat later."

"But _Ed-dy_!" Pansy whined loudly.

He whirled around, a vein bulging out on his head.  "STOP CALLING ME THAT ALREADY!  And quit whining, you're pissing me off!  Go eat breakfast!"

Everyone looked shocked as Ed turned back around and continued walking.  Pansy was about to open her mouth to protest when Zabini practically pushed them all into the Great Hall.  A part of Ed was amused by the fact that Draco played such a central role to their lives.  It was as if he was their life-line; without him around, they were lost and confused.  It was funny, but tragically pathetic at the same time.

The young alchemist hurried up and down the corridors, scouring Hogwarts for any signs of Draco and getting increasingly hungry and irritated the longer the search went on.  Ed had abandoned speed walking and decided to run up and down the halls, in spite of the constant verbal scolding he was getting from the various paintings on the walls.

"No running in the halls, young man!"

"Goodness gracious!"

"Stop this instant!"

And so the people in the paintings all exclaimed as Ed dashed past them.  He didn't really care much for their opinion since they were just paintings stuck on the wall...  At least until one painting of a proper, wealthy looking old couple glared at Ed as he passed.

"Look at that little boy!  No regard for rules whatsoever."

"The very _nerve_ of these first-years..."

Ed screeched to a halt and turned on them in a fit of rage.  "WHO DID YOU SAY WAS A SUPER-ULTRA SHORT KID?!"

The man in the painting blinked in surprise and then twisted his face angrily.  "I _do_ beg your pardon!  I said nothing of the sort!"

"Honestly!" his wife scoffed.  "Children these days.  No manners at all."

"I am _not_ a child!" Ed shouted.  "And I'm lookin' for someone, okay?  So _sor-ry_ for being in a hurry, but I'm missing a meal for this!"

The lady narrowed her eyes.  "He's quite rude, isn't he?"

Her husband nodded his head in agreement.  "Quite."

"He could certainly use a few lessons in manners.  There need to be fewer of these vulgar brutish types in the world."

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here!" Ed yelled angrily, stomping his right foot on the floor.

"That other boy just a while ago seemed polite," the old lady continued, still ignoring Edward.  "He _walked_ down the corridor and didn't utter a word."

The old man just nodded again.  "Brought up right, he was."

Ed's ears perked up.  "Other boy?  What other boy?"

"Handsome young man, wasn't he?"

"That he was!  Much like myself, in my younger days."

His wife merely laughed delicately.  "Indeed!  Though I can't say that you had the same platinum-blonde hair that he had."

He also laughed as his wife fingered the neat white fringe on his balding head.  While they seemed to enjoy themselves, reminiscing about their painted memories, Ed's mind was racing.  They had to have meant Draco.  After all, how many kids at Hogwarts could possibly have hair that color?  It was practically bleached!

"Which way did he go?" Ed asked the old couple in a loud voice.  

They continued to ignore him.  "Wasn't he wearing Slytherin robes, darling?"

"As a matter of fact, I believe he was."

Ed leapt forward and grabbed the edges of the painting.  "WHICH WAY DID HE GO?"

Both the lady and man were flabbergasted by the loud outburst as they stared wide-eyed at Ed.  It was clear that they had never been spoken to in such a way before, as neither one of the rich couple knew how to respond.  They looked at one another as though looking for help, only to find none.  Though the expression on his face was one of annoyance and impatience, Ed grinned inwardly, relishing in the fact that he had frightened the spoiled old couple.  The old lady whapped her husband insistently with her fan, gesturing for him to answer Ed and practically hiding behind him.

"If I'm not mistaken, he was going to that stairwell."  He pointed to a set of stairs further down the corridor that led upward.  The old man then turned back to his wife.  "Strange destination for a Slytherin, don't you think?  Doesn't that way lead to the Gryffindor tower?"

"Yes it does," she confirmed.  "I wonder what on _earth_ that boy could want over there."

The old man nodded his head thoughtfully and turned back to Ed.  "But, I say, what is your business with the young lad?"

But Ed had already gone, dashing down the corridor toward the mentioned staircase.  His mind was consumed with thoughts of his self-proclaimed reward; a big, hearty meal.  The old couple watched Edward run away, more aggravated than ever.

"How utterly _rude_ ," the old lady said disapprovingly.  "Not even so much as a 'thank you.'"

 

Edward whirled around as he ran down the corridors.  He hadn't been on the seventh floor since the first day of school, and he had to admit that he liked it better there than in the dungeons.  It was much brighter and roomier up there, and Ed wondered if the pleasantness of the seventh floor corridors was part of the reason why Slytherins didn't like Gryffindors.  Being hidden beneath the lake was definitely cool in its own way, but no matter what, nothing could beat being outside in the fresh air.  It was a sensation that Ed sorely missed.

As soon as he turned the corner, Ed found his white-blonde charge.  Draco seemed to be wandering aimlessly up and down the hall, a thoughtful expression on his face.  If Ed didn't know any better, it was almost as if Draco had gotten himself lost while searching for something he desperately needed.  Forcing his anger to bubble just below the surface, Ed clenched his fists and walked over to him.

"Malfoy!"

He instinctively drew his wand and turned at the sound of his name, his eyes wide for a surprised moment.  Once he realized that it was just Ed, Draco lowered his wand slightly, his face falling into an annoyed scowl.

"What are _you_ doing here?" he snapped.

"Looking for you.  What are you doing all the way up here?"

Malfoy sneered.  "Looking for me?  Touching."

"Don't get me wrong," Ed said with a glare.  "I had to get away from Pansy's whining and complaining.  She was driving me crazy."

Draco snickered.  "Consider yourself lucky.  You've only known her for two weeks.  I, on the other hand, have been stuck with her for the past six years."

A disgusted chill ran up Ed's spine and he shuddered.  "Damn."

The Slytherin smirked at his reaction, then glanced up and down the hallway once more before walking away.  Ed hesitated before following, instead taking a quick moment to look around himself to see if he could find out what Draco had been doing until he arrived.  When he saw nothing out of the ordinary, Ed turned to follow him.  Malfoy glanced over at him, a mildly confused and agitated look in his grey eyes.

"Do you _have_ to follow me around?"

For a moment Ed was confused, but he quickly recovered with a smirk on his face.  "What happened to us being friends?"

"We're _not_ friends," Draco growled.  "I was just told to show you around Hogwarts by Dumbledore and my mother."

"So show me around," said Ed, jamming his hands into his pockets again.  "You're supposed to be a... a prefect or something, right?  Isn't that part of your job?"

Draco turned to look at Ed in confusion.  "How do you know that?  I never once mentioned my being a prefect to you."

A small part of Ed panicked.  That was true.  He had read about Draco's prefect position from the file he received at the start of the mission.  Never once had any of the Slytherins mentioned it, which definitely struck Ed as strange.  Someone like Draco would relish in the power that one was granted with being a prefect, and his friends were certainly the kind of people to take advantage of it.  But Draco hadn't once exercised his authority since the school year began.

"Your mom said something about it," Ed told him quickly.

"Oh."  Draco dropped his gaze and was quiet for a moment.  When he raised his head again, his expression remained as stern as ever.  "Well, Mother doesn't know anything anymore.  She can't order me around, I'm not a child.  I've my own agenda now."

The words hit a soft spot.  Ed immediately stopped walking, his eyes wide.  He suddenly felt like he had talked to himself.  It was strange, almost like he had looked into one of those magical mirrors he had come across in books.  However, there was one very prominent distinction between them.  Ed hid his eyes as he resumed walking, his pace quicker than before so that he could catch up to Draco.

"You should listen to your mother," Ed said in a quiet yet stern voice.  "You don't know how much longer she'll be with you."

Strangely enough, there was a flash of fear in Draco's deep silver eyes.  He watched Ed as they continued to walk down the hallway, stunned.  A very serious, almost frightening expression was on Ed's face, as though he were enduring great pain.  For possibly one of the first times in his young life, it seemed that Draco Malfoy was afraid of someone that wasn't his father.

That's when three familiar Gryffindors entered the corridor.  As soon as they did, Ed's serious expression washed away and Draco's scowl returned.  Harry and his friends had been talking amongst themselves as they walked, something about Quidditch and someone named Hagrid, but as soon as they saw Ed and Draco they fell silent.  All of a sudden they looked rather upset, their almost vicious glares directed mainly at Draco.

"What are you doing up here, Malfoy?" Ron asked sharply.

Draco narrowed his eyes right back.  "Nothing a blood traitor like _you_ would understand, weasel."

The redhead took a step forward, his lips tightly pressed together in a straight line, as though trying very hard to keep himself from doing something stupid.  Ron's eyes wandered the corridor, lingering on Ed for just a moment before returning to Malfoy, a hint of a smile on his face.  Ed rolled his eyes at Ron's slight rise in confidence; he obviously thought he had an advantage.  Was he ever wrong.

"What's happened to your 'friends', ferret?"

The white-blonde sneered, fingering the handle of his wand.  "Does it make a difference?  With them or not, you're no match for me."

Harry slowly reached for his wand, but Ed grabbed his wrist and held him back.  When Harry looked at him with his green eyes wide in surprise, Ed just quietly shook his head and released him.  Meanwhile, Hermione had turned to Ron, laying a hand on his shoulder and pulling him away from the glaring contest he and Malfoy had engaged themselves in.

"Stop it, Ron.  Honestly, it's not worth it, and we've got to get going."

The redhead glanced at Hermione briefly, contemplating whether or not he should obey.  After a moment he quietly withdrew, rejoining his friends as they all turned to leave.  Ed could have sworn he detected a hint of jealousy and hurt in Draco's face.

"What's wrong, weasel?" he teased.  "Need your little girlfriend to care for you?"

Ron's face practically turned as red as his hair.  Hermione quickly spun around, her hair swishing into her face.

"I am _not_ his girlfriend!" she said angrily.

Before Hermione could continue, Ron had already turned back around and made an angry movement toward Malfoy.  She tried to pull him back again, but this time Ron resisted and yanked his arm away from her grasp.  He drew his wand and pointed it at Draco, but before he could even open his mouth to speak, Ed jumped into the space between them and pushed Ron's arm so he was pointing at the ceiling.  Both Harry and Hermione gasped; the whole thing happened so quickly that there had barely been time to react.  Ron blinked in surprise.

"What-"

"Cut it out," Ed said, his voice even and firm.  He then let go of Ron's arm and turned so that he could see Draco.  "Don't know about you, but we haven't eaten yet and I'm starved."

Draco quickly recovered from his surprise, straightening and walking casually down the corridor towards the stairs.  "I suppose you're right, Elric.  These filth aren't worth my time."

He pushed past the Gryffindors, giving Ron a particularly rough shove.  Ed just followed after him without a word, sticking his hands back into his pockets.  Ron looked especially aggravated, breathing heavily through his nose as they left.  It was obvious that he felt the need to have the last word.

"Since when do you need a midget to fight for you?!"

Ed's previously bottled frustration exploded forward.  He instantly spun around on his heel to face the offender, his gold eyes practically spewing fire.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A TINY BUG THAT ESCAPES THE WRATH OF A SHOE BECAUSE HE'S SO SMALL THAT HE FITS THROUGH THE GROOVES AND CAN'T BE SQUASHED?!"

Suddenly, everyone in the corridor was completely thunderstruck.  Ron paled slightly at the ferocious look on Ed's face.

"I-"

"I'M STILL GROWIN' HERE!  WHAT ELSE ARE YOU GONNA CALL ME?  A SHRIMP?!  A SUPER SMALL SPECK?!  BRING IT ON, FRECKLES!"

"He didn't say any of that, Ed!" Harry protested, trying to calm him down.

"DON'T JUDGE A MAN BY HIS SIZE!" Ed raged with his fists flailing in the air.

The sudden and explosive outburst on Ed's part seemed truly amusing to Draco.  He was barely resisting a grin as he reached over, grabbed Edward by the back of his collar and pulled him away.  Ron staggered backward, bumping into Harry and Hermione behind him.

"Let's just go, please," Hermione said.  "If Malfoy says we're not worth it..." She looked pointedly back at Malfoy as he walked away.  "...Neither is he."

For the briefest of moments, a very pained expression flashed across Draco's face.  His grip on Ed's collar tightened and he practically threw Ed forward, snapping him out of his blind rage.  Ed blinked in surprise as he caught his balance, noticing the abrupt change in his demeanor, and looked back to where Harry, Hermione and Ron were still standing.  

"Let's get out of here before you hurt yourself, Elric," Draco said gruffly.

He then turned and just about stormed down the corridor, heading back to the Great Hall.  Ed hesitated before following, somewhat confused by the change.  With one final glance back at the Gryffindors, both Slytherins disappeared down the stairwell.


	9. Cold Weather

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Don't Forget.

 

The fire had been raging for hours now.  The house crumbled amongst the flames.  Everyone watched.  They had to squint through the waves of heat to see.  Tears pricked at her eyes.  She turned to look at them.  Their faces were steely as ever.

A young boy screamed as his body crumbled apart.  A giant gate appeared.  A mysterious figure grinned.  He was asking for payment.  His leg became his.  His arm became his.  Blood.  There was blood everywhere.  There was screaming through tears.

Images of his mother flashed through his mind.  A beautiful lady.  No.  A bloody mass.  A transmutation gone horribly wrong.  It gasped for breath.  Its eyes seemed to glow.  Its hand reached up and beckoned for him to approach.

There was fire.  There was fire everywhere.

He reached forward, running through an empty, endless darkness.  He ran toward a tiny shimmer of light, his arm outstretched.  There was a boy just ahead, but he was always just beyond his reach.  A hand reached out and touched his cheek gently from behind.  He turned around to see who it was...

And screamed.

 

Edward shot up in bed, his eyes wide in horror and his chest heaving.  Beads of sweat had formed on his forehead, which he slowly wiped away with his sleeve.  He did his best to calm himself down, running his hands through his long hair.

_'A dream,'_ he told himself.   _'Just a dream...'_

He adjusted his position, preparing himself to get out of bed and change into the school robes.  But as soon as he moved, he winced at the gnawing ache in his right shoulder and his left leg.  Ed sucked in air through his teeth, keeping himself from crying out.  The mechanical limbs creaked slightly as he instinctively wrapped his arms around his auto-mail leg and curled up into a ball.  His gold eyes remained fixated on a spot in front of him as Ed worked to calm his mind, recovering from the raw memories that surfaced in his dream.

It had been about a month since Ed first arrived at Hogwarts.  He'd sent off two reports to headquarters so far, the most recent of which informed the colonel of Draco's occasional disappearing acts.  He and Al were sending letters to one another as well; they were usually just updates on what was happening in both of their lives.  After all, they were the only family each other had and they felt the need to be sure of the other's safety.

After a long moment of silence, Ed pulled himself out of bed and slowly changed into his robes.  He glanced out the window, wondering what time it was, only to discover once again that the sun was not visible from where they were.  He wasn't sure he'd ever get used to that.  Ed reached into his trunk and pulled out his pocket watch to check the time, but the position of the hands on the clock face barely registered in his mind.  His attention was caught by a crudely etched message on the inside of the lid.

_Don't forget 3.Oct.11_

His gaze hardened at the warning and he put the watch into his pocket.  It was barely past dawn and Ed found himself wide awake.  Draco and the others were still fast asleep, comfortable in their beds.  Ed narrowed his eyes at a few of them.  There was no doubt in his mind that none of their dreams were haunted by ghosts and sins.  It almost didn't seem fair.  He walked out of the dorm, his nightmares and the aching of his auto-mail joints having put him in no mood to deal with the ignorant Slytherins.

When everyone else awoke and gathered in the common room, they found Ed sitting on the floor near the fireplace, staring into the dancing flames.  As soon as they tried to approach him, Ed quickly got to his feet and walked out of the common room, heading for the Great Hall.  He kept his gaze to floor; he didn't even give any of them so much as a sidelong glance.  He just trudged down the corridors, his hands in his pockets and a sour look on his face that could beat Snape's any day of the week.

He gave them similar treatment all throughout breakfast.  Ed didn't say a word to anyone and just picked idly at the food in front of him.  Crabbe and Goyle were disappointed to not get another of Ed's food gorging displays, but kept glancing over at him as though expecting it to start at any moment.  Pansy tried to keep herself busy doting over Draco.  Draco ignored her and tried to read the _Daily Prophet_.  Zabini, on the other hand, did _not_ like the cold shoulder treatment.

"Hey Elric," he called from across the table, flicking a crumb of food his way.  "What's with you today?  Come on, say something!"

No response.

"I wonder if Eddy's all right," Pansy said, glancing at the young blonde.

"Leave him alone," Draco muttered as he flipped to the next page of the newspaper and scanned it.  "You'll just waste your breath."

Crabbe/Goyle eyed Ed's plate, still half full.  "He's not even eating his eggs..."

When Ed heard this he pushed his plate over toward whoever had spoken and rested his chin in his hands.  Crabbe/Goyle accepted the half-eaten meal happily and ate it as fast as he could.  Zabini moved so that he was sitting more directly across from Ed and leaned toward him.

"I challenge you to a poker game," he said.  "Same conditions as last time, how 'bout it?"

Ed remained perfectly silent while Zabini continued to keep himself in Ed's direct line of vision, which only made him angrier.  He eventually tuned out Zabini's nagging and looked through one of the high windows in the Great Hall.  The young alchemist grimaced when he saw the grey sky and the pouring rain outside.  He narrowed his eyes as he massaged the aching flesh near the auto-mail port on his leg.  Zabini noticed the change and followed his gaze.  He then looked back and forth between the window and Ed's scowling face.

"Don't like the rain, Elric?"

The alchemist averted his eyes and stared at the wooden grain of the long table.  "It's not that I don't like it," he said softly.  "It's just..."

He let his voice trail off there.  It wasn't that he didn't like the rain.  It was the shock of cold, stinging pain at the ports of his auto-mail.  It was the horrible memories that were associated with it.  He was just reminded of all the terrible things that he had seen - and done - in his young life.  There was no sense in getting these people - these _kids -_  involved in any of that.  In fact, they didn't have to know anything about him at all.  Ed preferred it that way.

Draco cast a sideways glance at him, a thoughtful gleam in his silver eyes.  He then turned to the next page of the newspaper and scanned it quickly.  Ed rotated his sore right shoulder and gingerly rubbed at the scarred flesh.

Zabini leaned forward a little more.  "Just what?  What's wrong with you?"

Edward just shook his head slowly, refusing to say anything more as he continued to rub his aching shoulder.   As soon as Pansy noticed this, she turned to him a little too eagerly.

"Do your shoulders hurt, Eddy?  I'll massage them for you..."

Before she could lay her hands on his shoulders, Ed sprang back from the table and practically slapped Pansy's hands away.  "DON'T!"

Having yelled so suddenly and angrily, everyone nearby turned to look at Ed in shock.  Pansy and the rest of Draco's group looked just as surprised and shocked.  She even looked rather offended to have been yelled at.  Ed wrapped his fingers around his right arm carefully, as though he were trying to protect it from everyone's stares, and turned away from them all with an angry frown.

Just then, the bell signaling the start of classes went off.  Everyone returned to normal, turning back to quickly gather their things and file out of the Great Hall.  Pansy and Zabini hurried out of the Hall, each muttering something about Edward under their breath as they went.  Crabbe and Goyle hurried to refill their plates before the food could vanish, looking as though someone was about to start chasing after them.  Draco snorted at all of them as he watched them leave.  He then chucked the newspaper onto the table and grabbed his books.

"Come on."

The look on Ed's face grew even sourer as he grabbed his books.  He managed to catch a glimpse of the front page of the day's edition of the _Daily Prophet_.  Ed drew in a sharp breath as he saw the date written on the page.

October 3.

A very vivid image of a burning house flashed before his eyes.  Ed smiled darkly, his gold eyes flat as he let out a soft, humorless laugh.  That explained the nightmare.  It was just his own dumb luck that it happened to be raining.  He threw his head back as his laughter grew, though its tone was still dry.  Draco stopped in his tracks and looked back at Ed, unsettled by his strange behavior.

Ed managed to calm himself before his laughter became maniacal, taking in a deep breath.  He opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling.  Traces of a smile remained on his face, though it was rather sad and bitter looking.

"Stand up," he whispered to no one in particular, "and walk.  Move forward."

Though short and simple, there was a power to the words that Ed always had to keep in mind.  Draco gave him a strange look before continuing on his way to their first class.  Edward slowly turned to follow him, stuffing his free hand into his pocket.  He fiddled with his silver pocket watch for the entire walk to their History of Magic class.

 

It rained for the rest of the day.  Ed's joints continued to ache.  The day was a complete disaster.  He couldn't bring himself to focus on a single one of his subjects as his mind had traveled elsewhere.  He kept seeing images of a burning house and their failed attempt at human transmutation.  Ed couldn't really remember what had happened in any of the day's classes.  He thought someone had given him a detention or some kind of punishment for spacing out, but he couldn't remember what class it was for.  It didn't really matter to him either way.  The only thing he knew for sure was that their astronomy class had been cancelled because of the poor weather, which was why Ed was sitting in the rain at the top of the West Tower, just outside of the owlery.

Draco had to go to Quidditch practice in spite of the pouring rain, which was perfect because Ed had felt the need to write a quick letter to Al.  He had just given the note to Eule to be delivered.

 

_Keep moving forward.  Don't look back._

_Stay safe._

_Wish you were here._

     _-Ed_

 

When Ed really thought about it, when October 3rd came around each year he had never put as much weight on it as he had at that moment.  It wasn't like they ever even did anything to commemorate the day.  Honestly it was just a date, a moment that he felt he needed to remind himself of, a reminder that they didn't have a home to return to until everything was back to the way they should be.  Maybe it was simply because Al wasn't around for the first time.  It was still strange being separated from him.  

He raised his head and looked up into the sky.  The rain continued to fall on his face from the dark clouds above him.  Ed watched each rain drop fall with his gold eyes.  He hoped with all his might that the rain would wash away all the doubt and sadness, only to find that the rain on his face was just starting to bug him and make him depressed.  Then he remembered the last time he had felt that way.  He recalled Al saying he could no longer feel the rain on his skin, having lost his body of flesh and blood...

_"Even if it means doing something as impossible and hopeless as turning against the currents of the world..."_

Ed stood and silently walked back to the Slytherin common room.  He winced at the aching of his joints.  They hurt more than ever now.

 

The rain continued on and off for the next week or so, during which Ed did his best to take his mind off of the past and focus.  He absorbed himself more completely in his duties, both as a student and as a spy.  However, Draco was starting to disappear more and more frequently and finding him was becoming difficult.  His mind strayed much more often and he seemed to care about things less and less, except for, strangely enough, the upcoming Hogsmeade visit.  He seemed very anxious about it, and though he was able to hide it very well from his other friends, Ed could see straight through the act.

The Saturday of the Hogsmeade visit arrived with a thick layer of snow.  In Ed's opinion, snow was infinitely worse than rain, since it made his auto-mail limbs even colder.  It was like having ice attached to his body, which was not a very pleasant experience.  Everyone else seemed to find snow enjoyable as they cheerily wrapped themselves up in the appropriate winter wear.  The entire Great Hall rippled with excitement during breakfast as everyone talked about the day's Hogsmeade visit.

"So are we heading off as well?" Pansy asked the group.

"I should think so," Zabini said with a shrug.  "Anything to get out of this bloody castle.  Am I right, Malfoy?"

Draco seemed to consider the idea for a moment before finally nodding his head, which apparently settled the matter.  Crabbe and Goyle looked at one another with dark smiles on their faces and Zabini said something about getting his hands on some firewhiskey.  Ed laughed quietly as he ate his breakfast.  It was rather amusing that the Slytherins felt the need to hide their excitement about going to Hogsmeade.  In spite of their bored tones and nonchalant shrugs, somewhere deep inside they truly wanted to go.  Then the Slytherins turned to look at Ed.

"Are you coming with us, Eddy?" Pansy asked.

The young alchemist looked up at them, his wide-eyed gaze moving from one face to the other.  He swallowed his latest mouthful of food before answering.  "I was gonna ask earlier, but... What's the deal with this Hogsmeade visit, anyway?"

Every one of them suddenly turned on Edward as though he had said something horrible.  He grinned inwardly, fascinated by the fact that they had all taken so much offense in something that they tried not to be excited for.  He wanted to laugh at them, but he instead reached for the biggest sandwich he could find on the table spread.

"You don't know anything, do you, Elric?" muttered Zabini, sounding annoyed and amused at the same time.

Ed took a huge bite out of his sandwich.  "Exchange student.  Remember?"

Draco rolled his eyes.  "It's one of few times that we actually get to leave this festering old castle," he said sharply.  "We get to go down to that town by the train station for a little fresh air."  He smirked slightly.  "And we could certainly use it, with all these losers suffocating us inside the castle."

Stuffing another sandwich into his mouth Ed nodded his head thoughtfully.  Crabbe and Goyle were watching him eat again, their eyes wide as they observed his impressive eating speed.

"So we just walk down there or something?"

" _Walk_?" Pansy echoed, looking horrified.  "Of course not!  We take the carriages."

"So you coming, Elric?" Zabini prompted.

Before Ed could answer, Draco interrupted.  "I don't reckon he _can_ ," he told his cronies.  "You need to have a permission slip to go, remember?  _Signed_ by a parent or guardian.  It's a little late for him to ask for one now."

The others looked like they were beginning to understand something for the first time, nodding their heads dumbly as the fact settled in.  Ed narrowed his eyes at the smug, victorious look on Draco's face.

_'Yeah, you'd_ like _to be rid of me, huh?'_ he thought coldly as he downed his pumpkin juice.  He wanted to tell them that he was practically his own guardian, but instead casually shrugged his shoulders and said, "We'll see."

Draco glared at Ed slightly for a moment, not liking the tone in his voice at all, but eventually turned back to his so-called friends.  While they all discussed their plans for the day, Eule soared into the Great Hall and landed swiftly on the table in front of Ed.  He blinked, looking at the letter she was carrying in confusion.  He hadn't been expecting to hear anything from Al that day, after all.

Making sure that no one would notice, the alchemist rolled his right sleeve up just slightly to reveal the glint of metal at his wrist.  He had somehow managed to teach the owl not to peck at his right arm without warning and to simply wait for him to reveal the metallic gleam from beneath his clothes.  As soon as she had confirmed his identity, Eule hopped forward approvingly and offered Ed the letter.  He quickly fixed his sleeve and reached for it.

He froze abruptly, surprised to see a military seal stamped on it.  The colonel didn't usually send any replies after receiving Ed's reports, the latest of which Ed had sent during dinner the night before.  He had notified the higher ups of Draco's disappearing acts and their increase in frequency, and also mentioned Draco's unusual anxiety for the Hogsmeade visit.  There didn't seem to have been any need for a reply.

"Who's it from, Eddy?" asked Pansy, peering over at the small barn owl.

Ed grimaced at the sound of Pansy's voice.  He forced out a nervous laugh, his mind racing to think of something to say.  "Uh... Just something from back home, I guess."

Pansy wrinkled her pug-nose slightly as she watched Ed take the letter into his hands.  She then nodded absently and turned away, allowing Ed to let out a relieved breath.  He was glad that her mind was filled with too many thoughts about Hogsmeade to pry any further.  Everyone then continued to discuss their plans for the day as Ed handed his half-eaten toast to Eule, dismissing her as he read the message.  He snorted as he read its contents.

 

_Go with the boy to Hogsmeade.  Remember: You have to keep an eye on him._

_You'll need authorization for the trip, so I've enclosed the permission slip with this letter._

 

With an annoyed frown, Ed peered into the envelope and checked for the permission slip.  Sure enough, there it was, signed by one Roy Mustang.  Talk about incredibly timely.  Ed fished the slip out and glared hatefully at it.  That bastard colonel was really enjoying his newfound faux guardianship over him.  He was going to have to remember to do something horrible to Mustang as soon as he could.  In the meantime, he had some "bad news" for Draco the antagonistic.

"Looks like I'm going to Hogsmeade," he said nonchalantly as he tucked the letter away.

The others rounded on him quickly, confused and surprised looks in their eyes.  Draco merely raised an eyebrow.

"What d'you mean?"

A small grin crossed Ed's lips as he laid down the permission slip for everyone to see.  "Read it and weep, Malfoy."

Pansy and Zabini smiled slightly as soon as they recognized the permission slip, immediately launching into all the ways they'd be including him on their day trip.  On the other hand, Draco frowned and turned away to glare at his empty plate on the table.  Clearly he didn't want Ed following him around Hogsmeade.  Ed watched him, tapping a finger to his chin thoughtfully.  It certainly raised many questions, the most prominent of which being "why."

 

The group of Slytherins left for Hogsmeade in the early afternoon, seated uncomfortably in one carriage.  They were, however, missing one Crabbe/Goyle, since Draco had pulled him aside after breakfast and told him something that made him stay behind.  The other Crabbe/Goyle seemed upset by this, though Ed couldn't tell whether it was because they had been separated or because Draco had issued him a job.  They were both strange Malfoy worshippers anyway, though not to the same extent as Pansy was.

Pansy, Crabbe/Goyle, and Zabini were all trying to carry a conversation between the rickety bumps and the occasional jabbing elbows.  Draco was staring dully out one window while Ed practically hung his head out another.  He suddenly wished he were smaller, which was a really depressing realization.  He tried to keep himself distracted by watching the thestrals as they pulled the carriage down the beaten road.  After all this time, Ed still wasn't sure what to make of the strange creatures.  Every now and again Draco would cast a weird look in Ed's direction, as if he had no idea what the blonde was looking at.

As soon as they arrived in the town, the Slytherins took Ed straight to the Three Broomsticks, which was like some sort of cafe/bar for students.  While everyone else got themselves a butterbeer to drink, Blaise excused himself for a few minutes and left the building.  When he returned some time later, he was slightly pink in the face and had something hidden underneath his cloak.  He sat down with his fellow Slytherins and revealed his treasure to be a rather large bottle of firewhiskey that he had managed to get from the Hog's Head.  It wasn't long before he was well on his way to being completely wasted, which wasn't a good idea since it was still early in the afternoon; much too early for anybody to be drunk.

In his drunken stupor, Zabini thought it would be fun to get Ed as drunk as him and spent a large amount of time trying to make him drink some of his firewhiskey.  He failed, of course, as Ed kept pushing the glasses away or turning them upside down so the drink would pour harmlessly to the floor.  Blaise scowled at him each time and tried again, which only made Ed and the others laugh out loud.

Through it all, Ed was surprised to find that he was actually enjoying himself.  In fact, everyone seemed to be having a good time...  Everyone but Draco.  His mind seemed to be completely preoccupied with something else.  An absent smile was plastered across Draco's face and his silver eyes were looking in their general direction, but nothing they did or said seemed to really register.  Pansy jostled him a few times, pulling him closer and resting her head on his shoulder, but it barely seemed to matter.  After a while, Draco abruptly stood from his seat and began to walk off.

"Drakey, where are you going?" Pansy called after him.

"Just to the loo," he answered casually.  "Be right back."

Pansy smiled mischievously and got up, rushing over to him.  She clasped one of his hands between hers, stopping him in his tracks.  "I'll go with you," she said with a coy wink.

Draco frowned as he pulled his hand away and kept walking.  "I'll be _fine_ on my own."

The brunette screwed up her pug-face as she watched him go, looking fairly annoyed that she was rejected again.  She huffed back to the table and took a large sip of her butterbeer.  Zabini grinned, slinging his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to him.

"Aw, _hell_ , Pans," he said loudly.  "If it's a snog you're lookin' ta have, there's _plenty_ o' good candidates right 'ere.  Y'can 'ave that bloke over there, or that one... Or 'ow about snoggin' with me?  Or little Elric, 'ere?"

At the mere suggestion, both Ed and Pansy turned bright red; Pansy in embarrassment and Ed in pure rage.  He slammed his fists down on the table, making everyone's drinks hop into the air.  Pansy, who had been looking like she was about to make a move on him, instantly withdrew in fear.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A BEAN?!"

Zabini simply made an annoyed face.  "Didn't say none o' that, mate..."  He then turned to Pansy with a silly grin.  "Awright, since Elric refuses... Pucker up, Pans!"

Pansy squealed and gave him a rough, playful shove to the side.  Zabini and Crabbe/Goyle laughed while Ed turned away, grumbling something about sex-obsessed maniacs.  He looked off in the direction of the bathroom, waiting for Draco to get back so Pansy could continue her freaky worship of him.  As soon as the subject of snogging was dropped, they all went back to laughing at Zabini in his drunken state.  It was unfortunate that this didn't last very long as he started to get increasingly groggy.

Another twenty minutes passed and strangely enough, Draco had yet to return from his trip to the bathroom.  Zabini was the first to notice.  He narrowed his eyes at the bathroom door.

"Wassat wanker doin' in there?" he muttered.  "Awful long time just to take a shit."

Pansy wrinkled her nose in disgust.  "Don't say that!"

Crabbe/Goyle shrugged, grinning from ear to ear.  "He's just saying the truth, Pansy."

"Maybe," Pansy snapped, "but that is positively revolting."

All the boys erupted into laughter again (except for Zabini because he was drifting in and out of consciousness), much to Pansy's annoyance.  After a moment she glanced anxiously back towards the bathroom.  She sneered at some girl with dirty-blonde hair who had just exited, but there was still no sign of Draco.

"What _is_ taking him so long?" she whined.  Pansy then turned to Ed, a pleading look on her face.  "Can you go look for him, Eddy?"

"What the-" Ed looked annoyed, brows furrowing in frustration at the suggestion.  "Why  _me_?"

She pursed her lips - Ed could only guess this was her attempt at a cute pout - and made herself look even sadder.  "Because as soon as he sees it's you, he'll come running back out to get away from you."

Ed mentally rolled his eyes.  He really _was_ the kid's damn babysitter, and now even the other Slytherins knew it.  In spite of everything else that had happened since he'd arrived at Hogwarts, his personal opinion of the mission hadn't changed at all.

"Fine.  I'm going."

A relieved smile returned to Pansy's face as he stood up and walked into the bathroom.  He stuffed his hands into his pockets as he glanced around the inside of it.  It was rather small; there were only a few stalls and urinals available.  There weren't any particularly disgusting smells hanging in the air, and the only thing that could be heard was water dripping in the sink.  Which could only mean one thing: Draco had disappeared... again.

Clenching his hands into tight fists, Ed bolted out of the bathroom.  He quickly searched the room for signs of Draco, cursing in his head all the while.  Nothing.  He ignored the confused look on Pansy's face and hurried outside into the snow, whirling around in place, eyes darting everywhere as he rubbed at his shoulder to keep warm.  This was getting ridiculous.  He couldn't keep chasing the bastard around just because he was  _breathing_.  At least it had only been a few hours since they'd first arrived in Hogsmeade... How long had Draco been out of sight?

_'Think, Ed, think!'_ he told himself angrily.   _'Where would he go?'_

He ended up spending the next half hour or so storming around Hogsmeade in the snow, searching for Draco and once again cursing his luck and his job.  Ed decided that the first thing he would do once he went back to Amestris would be to pummel Roy into oblivion and quit his job as a state alchemist.  Until then, he would settle with beating on Malfoy as a replacement.  Ed couldn't stop himself from grinning evilly as he imagined his metal fist flying into Draco's face with a satisfying crunch.  The image played over and over in his head as he fumed down the street, his hands stuffed into his pockets.

His malevolent thoughts kept him so distracted that he barely noticed the infamous Gryffindor trio walking several meters in front of him.  They kept casting wary glances in Ed's direction, the evil grin on his face not going unnoticed.  Ron seemed to be most frightened of all three of them, given the events of their last encounter.  Harry and Hermione were just worried about the malicious aura that seemed to be radiating off of him.

"It's nothing to do with you, Leanne!"

The movie of Draco getting socked in the face was suddenly stopped short by the yelling as Ed turned slowly to see what had happened.  Further down the street he could see two girls arguing, their voices so shrill and loud that everything they said hit his ears clearly.  The argument seemed to center around a wrapped package that the blonde held in her hands.  Ed's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he watched, not quite sure what to do.  It wasn't like it had anything to do with him, after all...

Either way, he didn't get much time to think about it.  One of the girls suddenly made to grab hold of the package in her friend's hand, but the dirty-blonde viciously tugged it back.  Too viciously, it seemed, as it suddenly flew from both of their grasps and fell to the ground.  And suddenly, all hell broke loose.

At once, the dirty-blonde girl rose gracefully into the air, her arms outstretched as though she was going to fly.  Her hair was whipped around her expressionless face by the fierce wind, her eyes shut.  Ed, Harry, Ron, and Hermione all ran toward the two girls, gaping up at the girl who was floating almost six feet above the ground.  Then suddenly, she let out a terrible scream.  Her eyes flew open, but whatever it was that she could see or feel was causing her great anguish.

A cold lump settled into the pit of Ed's stomach.  It was a familiar sort of screaming.  He had heard himself and Al screaming in the exact same way.  It was the horrible noise that escaped their mouths when their bodies had been taken.  He could suddenly see himself reaching for a boy who was just beyond his reach, being pulled into nothingness.  The screaming alone was painful.  The experience was infinitely worse.  It was an excruciating pain that the girl floating above his head was feeling... for no reason at all.

Her friend began to scream as well, in desperation and fear, as she seized the girl by her ankles and tried to tug her back to the ground.  Harry, Ron, and Hermione rushed forward to help her, but as soon as they grabbed her legs, she started to fall.  Ed forced himself to move, jumping forward and catching her before she landed on anyone.  He held her firmly with both arms, struggling slightly against her violent thrashing.  Her eyes darted in every direction, a blank, anguished glaze in her eyes.

The others rushed over to Ed and the girl quickly and tried speaking to her.  But she didn't seem to recognize any of them and continued to thrash and scream in Ed's arms.  Ed looked up at all of them, his gold eyes flashing.

"WHAT THE _FUCK_ JUST HAPPENED?!" he shouted, confused and outraged by the events.

Ed didn't know who to blame for this, looking from one face to another, waiting for someone to answer him.  The thrashing girl's friend looked too frightened to speak, her hands clasped over her mouth as she shook her head in disbelief.  She could do little more than stare at her friend in horror as she screamed and writhed in Ed's arms.

"How should _we_ know?!" Ron snapped.

Harry wiped his glasses clear as he straightened and searched the landscape.  "Stay there!" he shouted at them over the howling wind.  "I'm going for help!"

He then took off in a sprint toward the school.  Ed did his best to hold the girl down, finding it difficult to keep her still in spite of his strength and his sturdy auto-mail arm.  He looked to Ron and Hermione for answers, since the only person who seemed to actually know anything about the incident was incapable of making herself coherent.

"What just happened?" he asked again, calmer than before, though still angry.

"You were right there as well, weren't you?" retorted Hermione.  "We only know just as much as you do, nothing more!"

"Yeah, but- whoa!"

Ed quickly moved his head out of the way of a particularly vicious slap from the thrashing girl.  It seemed as though she was starting to break free of his hold on her.  Hermione and Ron immediately rushed forward to help; Hermione cradled the girl's head and torso steady in her arms while Ron pinned her feet to the ground.  Ed adjusted himself so that he was holding her wrists firmly in his hands.  She seemed to howl even louder at the hard, cold touch of steel through his white gloves and thrashed even more, causing Ron to struggle with keeping her legs still.  Her friend began to break down into sobs, sinking to the snow covered ground.

"Katie!" she wailed, tears streaming down her face.  "I told you, but… And now you've…!"

"Get back!" came a deep, burly voice from down the lane.  "Lemme see her!"

Everyone looked up to see a large man running toward them, Harry not far behind.  He was almost twice as tall as a normal man and at least five times as wide.  His face was barely visible behind the long, wild tangles of his bushy black hair and beard, which was currently riddled with bits of snow and ice.  He looked rather like an enormous bear the way he was dressed.  As he came nearer Ed gaped at him; the man was practically a giant, and he really _did_ feel like a bug around him.

"Something's happened to her!" sobbed the girl, finally becoming somewhat coherent.  "I don't know what-"

The giant man stared at the girl named Katie as she writhed in Ed's grip for a brief moment.  He then bent down to scoop her into his arms, nodding at Ed and the others to release her.  They did as they were told and handed the girl over to him without a word.  Then, making sure he had a good grip on her, the giant man carried her off toward the castle.  Katie's friend broke down again, burying her face in her hands.  Hermione hurried over to her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"It's Leanne, isn't it?" she said gently.

The girl nodded.

"Did it just happen all of a sudden, or...?"

"It was when that package tore," Leanne sobbed.

She pointed at the sodden brown-paper package on the ground and everyone turned to look at it.  The package had split open to reveal a greenish glitter within.  Ron was about to pick the object up, bending down with his hand outstretched, but Harry quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him away.

" _Don't touch it_!" he said, his voice firm with urgency.

Heeding Harry's warning, Ed crouched down near the package and poked the folds of brown paper out of the way with a twig.  Lying in the middle of the torn, wet paper was an ornate opal necklace.  He narrowed his eyes at it.

"What the hell..?"

"I've seen that before," said Harry, his green eyes wide as he stared at the necklace.  "It was on display in Borgin and Burkes ages ago."

The young alchemist raised an eyebrow, confused.  "So?"

Harry slowly turned his shocked gaze on Ed, his voice lowering.  "The label said it was cursed."

Ed's eyes went wide for a moment and he looked back at the thing.  "Then that girl must've touched it."

"How did Katie get hold of this?" Harry asked, looking up at Leanne.

Leanne was shaking uncontrollably as she spoke.  "Well, that's why we were arguing," she managed to say.  "She came back from the bathroom in the Three Broomsticks holding it, said it was a surprise for somebody at Hogwarts and she had to deliver it.  She looked all funny when she said it..."

_'The bathroom in the Three Broomsticks...?'_ Ed's mind raced.

"Oh no," Leanne murmured to herself in shock, "oh no, I bet she'd been Imperiused and I didn't realize."

She began to shake in renewed sobs and Hermione patted her shoulder gently.  "She didn't say who'd given it to her, Leanne?"

"No... She wouldn't tell me... And I said she was being stupid and not to take it up to school, but she just wouldn't listen and... and then I tried to grab it from her... and- and-"

Leanne let out a wail of despair, burying her face into her hands again.  Ed rose to his feet, his gaze fixated on the necklace.  She said she got it from the bathroom in the Three Broomsticks.  Now that he thought about it, Pansy had sneered at someone as they exited from the bathroom.  Could that someone have been Katie?  And then there was Draco...

"We'd better get up to school," said Hermione, her arm still wrapped around Leanne.  "We'll be able to find out how she is.  Come on..."

She helped Leanne to her feet and together they hurried toward the school.  Ron made a start after the girls, but halted when he noticed that Harry and Ed seemed rooted to the spot.  They were both staring at the necklace on the ground, identical stern looks on their faces.  After a moment, Harry pulled off his scarf and carefully wrapped it around the opal necklace, ignoring Ron's gasp as he picked it up.

"We'll need to show this to Madam Pomfrey," he said, then hurried off after Hermione and Leanne, Ron just behind him.

Edward hesitated before following them back to the school.  Some part of him was aware that he should go back to rejoin the other Slytherins for the sake of maintaining his cover.  But the rest of him didn't care.  A girl might have just died.

And he was pretty sure he knew who was behind it.


	10. Tricks, Lies, and Accusations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But can you prove it?

A long, detailed report was being written in Ed's head as he followed Harry and the others back to Hogwarts.  There was suddenly a lot that headquarters needed to know.  There was no doubt in Ed's mind that Draco Malfoy was involved in what happened to the Katie Bell girl.  Somehow.  The only problem was that he had no evidence and no way to support his claim.  And no one in the wizarding world was likely to back him up.  After all, in spite of everything that had happened, the Malfoy family was still one of the most powerful and influential wizarding families around.  Accusing Draco of doing something like this was serious.  Not to mention the fact that Edward was a complete outsider of this society.  He had to be absolutely sure before he did anything.  

It seemed like a talk with the headmaster himself was in order.

"Malfoy knows about this necklace," Ed heard Harry say suddenly as they reached the school grounds.  He looked up in interest, his gold eyes wide.  "It was in a case at Borgin and Burkes four years ago, I saw him having a good look at it while I was hiding from him and his dad."  Harry suddenly cast a worried glance at Ed and lowered his voice slightly, leaning closer to Ron.  Ed could still hear him.  " _This_ is what he was buying that day when we followed him!  He remembered it and he went back for it!"

"I-I dunno, Harry," said Ron hesitantly. "Loads of people go to Borgin and Burkes... and didn't that girl say Katie got it in the girls' bathroom?"

Ed had to stop himself from answering Ron's question in Harry's place.  Even though he had decided not to rejoin the other Slytherins, he couldn't completely blow his cover.  Conspiring against Malfoy with Harry and his friends probably wouldn't help.

"She said she came back from the bathroom with it," Harry insisted, "she didn't necessarily get it in the bathroom itself..."

"McGonagall!" Ron said warningly.

Everyone halted in their step and Ed and Harry looked up to see Professor McGonagall hurrying down the stone steps through swirling sleet to meet them.  She looked first at Hermione and Leanne, who was still sobbing uncontrollably, then at the three boys tailing after them.

"Hagrid says you all saw what happened to Katie Bell - upstairs to my office at once, please!"

The trio glanced back at Ed as though he wasn't supposed to be there, to which he shot them an annoyed look, feeling rather offended.  Hadn't he helped hold Katie down?  Hadn't he caught her in mid-air?  

Professor McGonagall didn't notice, simply motioning to Harry's balled up scarf.

"What's that thing you're holding, Potter?"

"It's the thing she touched," said Harry.

"Good lord," McGonagall breathed, looking alarmed as she carefully took it from Harry.  A gangly, creepy looking man suddenly came shuffling across the entrance hall, a sensor of some sort in his hand.  "No, no, Filch, they're with me!" she told him hastily as she handed the bundle over to him.  "Take this necklace to Professor Snape at once, but be sure not to touch it, keep it wrapped in the scarf!"

Then everyone followed Professor McGonagall upstairs and into her office.  She shut the door as soon as everyone was inside and swept around her desk to face the students, a stern look on her face.

"Well?" she said sharply.  "What happened?"

Leanne launched into her story, though it seemed as though she were forcing every word past her choking sobs.  She told McGonagall as much as she could, from Katie's trip to the bathroom to the tussle over the parcel.  Before she could go into what happened next, Leanne broke down again.  There was no getting another word out of her.

"All right," the professor said, not unkindly, "go up to the hospital wing, please, Leanne, and get Madam Pomfrey to give you something for shock."

The sobbing girl nodded her head sadly and made her way out of the room.  Once she had gone, Professor McGonagall turned back to the students who were still standing before her.

"What happened when Katie touched the necklace?"

"She rose up into the air, ma'am," Ed said firmly.  "Then she started to scream and collapsed."

He shuddered slightly when he remembered her screaming, but tried not to let it show.  The others looked at Ed for a moment, all of them surprised that he had spoken so evenly and quickly.  Harry shook his head slowly and turned back to the professor.

"Professor, can I see Professor Dumbledore, please?"

McGonagall looked surprised.  "The headmaster is away until Monday, Potter."

"Away?" both Harry and Ed echoed angrily.

"Yes, away!" said Professor McGonagall tartly, her eyes darting between Ed and Harry.  "But anything you have to say about this horrible business can be said to me, I'm sure!"

Ed looked away, clenching his teeth.  What he had to say was of no concern to Professor McGonagall.  He had to speak to Dumbledore.  No one else.  He was on a mission and had his orders, and as much as he hated his job, he had to pull through.  There was clearly a lot at stake here.  He glanced at Harry, who seemed to be carefully weighing his options.  At length Harry raised his eyes slightly, chewing his lip and throwing a nervous glance in Ed's direction.

"I think Draco Malfoy gave Katie that necklace, Professor."

Ron rubbed his nose in apparent embarrassment and Hermione shuffled her feet, ready to put a bit of distance between herself and Harry.  They both looked over at Ed, obviously expecting some kind of reaction to hear a friend being seriously accused, but he kept his face expressionless.  He couldn’t let them see that Ed felt the exact same way as Harry.  A small part of him was actually surprised that Harry had chosen to confide in McGonagall with something so serious, but again, he didn’t let it show.

"That is a very serious accusation, Potter," McGonagall said after a shocked pause.  "Do you have any proof?"

Proof.  Exactly what Ed lacked as well, forcing him to remain silent for the moment.  He knew how these investigations went, having at least been witness to several during his time in the military.

"No, but..." Harry hesitated for a moment, glancing at his friends.  "Well, before term started, we saw Malfoy at Borgin and Burkes and overheard a conversation he had with Mr. Borgin, asking him to repair something.  Mr. Borgin refused, but Malfoy showed him... well, we don't know _what_ , exactly, but it scared Mr. Borgin into agreeing.  He didn't want anyone else to know about it, either.  Whatever Malfoy was planning, it must have had something to do with that necklace.  I saw it on sale there before, that must be where he got it from."

When Harry finished, Professor McGonagall looked slightly confused.  Edward’s brow furrowed, the corners of his lips twitching into a frown as he found himself wishing that he and Mustang had gotten involved in all of this sooner.  This whole thing was begging for deeper investigation.  It was now glaringly obvious that the Malfoy family had been suspicious for years.  So why hadn't anything been done about them sooner?

"Malfoy took something to Borgin and Burkes for repair?"

Harry shook his head.  "No, Professor, he just wanted Borgin to tell him how to mend something, he didn't have it with him.  But that's not the point, the thing is that he bought something at the same time, and I think it was that necklace-"

"You saw Malfoy leaving the shop with a similar package?"

"No, Professor, he told Borgin to keep it in the shop for him-"

"But Harry," Hermione interrupted, "Borgin asked him if he wanted to take it with him, and Malfoy said no..."

"Because he didn't want to touch it, obviously!" Harry yelled angrily, turning on his friend.

"What he actually said was, 'How would I look carrying that down the street?'"

"Well, he would look a bit of a prat carrying a necklace," interjected Ron.

Ed stifled a laugh as a peculiar mental image of Draco Malfoy wearing the opal necklace around his neck crossed his mind.

"Oh, Ron," Hermione said despairingly, "it would be all wrapped up, so he wouldn't have to touch it, and quite easy to hide inside a cloak, so nobody would see it!  I think whatever he reserved at Borgin and Burkes was noisy or bulky, something he knew would draw attention to him if he carried it down the street..."

Harry looked like he had something to say, but Hermione stopped him quickly, raising her voice another notch.

"And in any case, I asked Borgin about the necklace, don't you remember?  When I went in to try and find out what Malfoy had asked him to keep, I saw it there.  And Borgin just told me the price, he didn't say it was already sold or anything-"

"Well, you were being really obvious," Harry argued.  "He realized what you were up to within about five seconds, of course he wasn't going to tell you.  Anyway, Malfoy could've sent off for it since-"

"That's enough!" McGonagall said sharply, her voice stopping the argument at once.

Hermione, looking furious as she was about to respond, consented to shut her mouth.  Watching them argue was a strange sort of fun for Edward, and amused him enough to lift his mood ever so slightly.  Ron, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to sink into the floor and disappear.  McGonagall wasn't amused either, throwing both students sharp looks that demanded complete and total compliance.

"Potter," she addressed the dark-haired teen, "I appreciate you telling me this, but we cannot point the finger of blame at Mr. Malfoy purely because he visited the shop where this necklace might have been purchased.  The same is probably true of hundreds of people..."

"That's what I said," Ron muttered softly under his breath. Ed grinned, turning away slightly so that no one would notice.

"And in any case, we have put stringent security measures in place this year.  I do not believe that necklace can possibly have entered this school without our knowledge..."

Harry stepped forward aggressively.  "But...!"

"And what is _more_ ," the professor said in a loud voice, with an air of awful finality, "Mr. Malfoy was not in Hogsmeade today."

Ed's eyes went wide and he quickly turned back to face Professor McGonagall.  "What?  But that's impossible!  He was-"

"How do you know, Professor?" Harry ventured, looking deflated.

McGonagall raised an eyebrow at Ed before answering Harry's question.  "Because he was doing detention with me.  He had now failed to complete his Transfiguration homework twice in a row."

Now Edward was completely confused.  There was no way that Draco could be in two places at once.  He had gone with them to Hogsmeade!  Pansy had been fawning all over him the entire time!  Until he disappeared anyway.  They had barely been there for two hours before he...

His amber-gold eyes flashed dangerously.   _That bastard._

"But Professor," Ed pressed, trying to get in a protest of his own, "I _saw_ -"

"So," McGonagall went on, raising her voice to cut him off as she marched past all of the students toward the door, "thank you for telling me your suspicions, Potter, but I need to go up to the hospital wing now to check on Katie Bell.  Good day to you all."

She then held open her office door and waited for them to file past her.  Ed's mouth snapped shut and, suddenly too frustrated at being so easily dismissed, chose to not even wait for the door to be all the way open.  He spun around on his heel and fumed down the corridors, heading straight for the Slytherin common room.  When he found Draco Malfoy, he would kill him.  That would end things quickly enough.  No more chasing after him and his disappearing acts.  He'd be six feet under, and that would be final.  Yes.  Ed would kill him.

He growled the password to the blank stone wall and stormed through the revealed entrance.  Lying stretched out on the couch with his head propped up by his arms was Draco, looking like he was enjoying a comfortable nap near the fire.  Ed stomped over and loomed over him for a while.  He wanted nothing more than to sock him right in the nose, to drag confession after confession out of him with a good old fashioned smackdown--

_I can't help but worry about him._

The worried voice of Draco's mother suddenly came floating back into Ed's head, loosening the tight fist that had formed at his side.  How _dare_ he have someone who cared so deeply.  And then there was the whole damn mission as well, the need for proof so that action could be taken… If he failed here, if he simply knocked down a single pawn on the board - if he even _was_ a pawn, since it was still entirely plausible that Draco was acting on his own will - that didn’t do much in the larger scheme of things.  And who could say that a public takedown of a follower of Voldemort wouldn’t somehow endanger the entire civilian population?  

Edward clenched his jaw tightly.  He was supposed to be on Draco's good side.  That’s how he was supposed to find out what was going on and figure out how to stop it quietly.  And he didn't even have any proof of his involvement with what happened to Katie Bell, only a strong feeling in his gut.  But he couldn't just overlook this!  This was-- This was just _so_ \--

"What do you want?" Draco drawled without opening his eyes.

The voice snapped him out of his thoughts. Ed found himself curling his auto-mail hand into a fist again, attempting to reign his temper back in.

"That was some bathroom break, huh?" he growled after a moment's hesitation.

Draco opened one eye lazily.  "What are you on about?"

A muscle in Ed’s jaw jumped as he spoke, practically through gritted teeth.   "You know what I'm 'on about.'  Where were you?  Pansy was on my back again, telling me to find you."

"Really?"  He yawned ostentatiously.  "That's nice."

The alchemist barely managed to keep himself from exploding.  He hated having to play dumb, even if it was only in some small measure.  " _Where did you go_?"

There was a brief silence for a moment as Draco turned to stare into the fire.  "Here," he said at length.  "I had a little date with McGonagall."

"Romantic," Ed snorted.  "When were you planning on telling the rest of us about it?"

"Never, not with the way you've been on my arse since the start of term.  You're as bad as Pansy, you realize.  Are you in love with me, too?"

Ed's face twisted in disgust.  "Get over yourself, Malfoy."

He looked around, searching the area for any opened bottles or flasks.  The Crabbe/Goyle that stayed behind had to have used a Polyjuice Potion to stand in for Draco for the first two hours of his detention with McGonagall.  There had been something in Hogsmeade that Draco needed to handle himself, and needed to get away somehow.  That had to be it.  All Ed needed was some kind of proof that a Polyjuice Potion had indeed been used, and he could bring the evidence to Dumbledore, get a confession out of Malfoy, and that could be the end of it.  He would have fulfilled his mission.

Of course, it was never so easy.

"There something else you want from me, Elric?" Draco snapped.

Smart as he was, calm interrogation had never been one of Ed's stronger points.  If he didn't want to blow his mission, he was going to have to leave the matter alone.  And without being able to find anything around him that suggested the use of a potion, he certainly couldn't go full "bad cop" on him and let out all the stops.

He really, _really_ wanted to, though.

"No.  Nothing."

"Then back off."

Gritting his teeth, Ed slowly moved away and flopped himself down on the opposite couch with a soft grunt.  Damn Malfoy.  Damn military.  He then stared into the flames, once again going over in his mind what was going into his next report.

 

Hogwarts erupted into buzzing talk over the next few days.  Rumors about what happened to Katie were flying all across the school.  However, the details of the event were confused.  No one knew that the package had been given to Katie to be delivered to someone else.  Ed decided that this was a good thing; it would only cause mass hysteria if the students knew that somebody among them was being targeted.  The only people in Hogwarts who knew were the ones who had been there at the time: Ed, Leanne, Ron, Hermione, and Harry.

And Malfoy.  Ed was still thoroughly convinced - No, scratch that. He _knew_ that Draco had done it and had been indirectly questioning him about it the whole time.  He had yet to get anything out of him, which was frustrating in the extreme.  The white-blonde insisted that he knew nothing about what had happened to Katie Bell and had absolutely nothing to hide.  The other Slytherins seemed to notice the renewed tension in the air, but had yet to address it.  They just knew that it had something to do with Hogsmeade, an afternoon that Zabini was finding difficulty remembering.

Since he couldn't get anything about Katie Bell out of Draco, Ed was going to have to move on.  As much as he wished it was, actually investigating what had happened to her was not his mission; watching Draco was.  There was no doubt in his mind that the two were intertwined, and Malfoy couldn’t possible be so clever that he wouldn’t slip up sooner or later.  For now, Ed just had to settle with keeping a focus on information gathering, which he was going to have to do indirectly.  He had to get it from someone else.  Now the question was who to ask...

Potions class was over now that Slughorn was finished praising Harry's latest accomplishment.  Draco scowled in Harry's direction as he gathered up his things in preparation to leave.  The Slytherins looked altogether too happy to leave, especially Zabini.  But before anyone could manage to slip out the door, Professor Slughorn's voice boomed from the front of the class.

"Oh, almost forgot, almost forgot.  Mr. Potter, Mr. Zabini, Mr. Elric, and Miss Granger.  Might I ask you four to remain after class?  I'd like to have a word with you all."

Zabini and Ed froze in their tracks and slowly turned to look incredulously at the Potions Master.  The professor just smiled warmly.

"Bloody hell, what _now_?" Zabini groaned.  "Another invitation?  D'you know this makes four times since the start of term?"

"Sick of parties, are we?" Draco snickered, though the envy in his eyes made it clear that he wasn't amused at all.  He then turned his subtle anger on Ed.  "Well, I know what he wants with Zabini, but _Elric_ as well?  The old coot's _obviously_ gone senile."

Both boys shot Malfoy a mean look, at which he feigned offense.  Pansy just smiled as she once again attached herself to Draco's arm and began to pull him away.

"You boys go on," she told them.  "I'll take care of Drakey here."

"I don't _need_ any 'taking care of,' Pans," Draco snapped.

"Oh, don't say that, Drakey," Pansy cooed, still smiling.

Malfoy looked thoroughly annoyed as Pansy dragged him out of the dungeon.  Ed grumbled something about spoiled brats angrily under his breath as both he and Zabini made their way toward Slughorn.  Harry and Hermione seemed to be arguing about something quietly as they approached the professor, but stopped as soon as everyone was gathered.  Slughorn beamed proudly at the four students before him.

"Well, now!" he said jovially.  "I finally have the chance to speak with all _four_ of you.  Harry, Mr. Elric, I do believe you lads have been avoiding my invitations.  That makes three of my little gatherings that you've missed already."

Harry shifted his weight anxiously.  "Well sir, as I told you before, I've had Quidditch practices.  I'm very sorry."

Edward blinked in confusion.  Avoiding his invitations?  "I only received _one_ invitation from you, sir."

Professor Slughorn turned to Ed.  "That would be because I never got the chance to properly invite you to the others, m'boy, you always seem to be in such a hurry.  I'm lucky to have caught you this time."

The blonde tilted his head to the side thoughtfully.  Now that he mentioned it, Ed had been spending most of his time either following Draco around or at the owlery, so he never really had a moment free.  There had been a few times that he thought he heard Slughorn call after him as they left the dungeons, but he didn't pay it any mind.  Either way, it didn't matter.  Slughorn's parties only diverted from his mission, since Draco wasn't invited to them.

"At any rate, I have another invitation for all of you," Slughorn continued, still beaming, "just giving you advanced notice on the matter so you can plan your schedules accordingly."  Harry suddenly looked rather disheartened.  "I'll be having a Christmas party on the 20th of December, right before winter break.  It'll be up in my rooms, a good old fashioned Christmas party, what do you say?"

Zabini, Ed, and Harry's faces fell slightly.  They all opened their mouths as they searched their minds frantically for good excuses.  On the other hand, Hermione looked genuinely interested and nodded in response.  Apparently, Slughorn took Hermione's response to be the consensus of the group and his merry smile grew even more jovial.

"Excellent, excellent!" he exclaimed, ignoring the horrified looks on the boys' faces.  "Then I can expect to see _all four of you_ there, correct?  Oh, you may bring guests with you if you like, or dates, as you may call them."

" _Dates_?" all four students echoed incredulously.  Hermione obviously hadn't been banking on hearing that, as her face turned bright red.

"Yes, dates!" Slughorn said again, growing happier with every passing moment.  "Well, I best be sending you on your way, then.  I'll see you all next class!"

And on that note, the professor gathered his things and hurried off to his office, clearly pleased with himself.  As soon as he was out of sight, Zabini smacked his forehead.  An intense look graced Harry's face as though he were contemplating something of serious consequence to his well-being.  Ed quickly stuffed his hands into his pockets and glared at a spot on the ground.  He didn't have _time_ to go to a stupid holiday party.  He had serious investigating to do!

"I can't believe this!" Zabini groaned.

"Well, _I_ think it's rather intriguing," Hermione said evenly, though the blush still hadn't left her face.  Her eyes then took on a dreamy glaze.  "A date to a Christmas party... I wonder who I should go with?"

"Excited, are you?" Blaise sneered.  "I suppose you would be.  After all, how often does someone ask _you_ out to parties, Granger?  Wasn't Krum the one and only?"

Hermione looked furious, clenching her things tightly in her hands.  The tall Slytherin turned away snobbishly, pleased that his point came across.  Ed narrowed his eyes.

"Leave her alone, Zabini," he said icily.  "I haven't seen _you_ going out on any dates lately."

Both Gryffindors were taken aback that Edward had stood up for her.  Hermione looked over at Harry as though waiting for an explanation, but the dark-haired teen just smiled slightly.  Zabini smirked and shrugged his shoulders, starting for the door.

"Whatever.  We'd better go find the others and meet up with Malfoy, anyway.  We've wasted enough time here."

Ed shrugged as well and began to follow him slowly out of the dungeon.  Once Zabini had walked through the door, Harry reached out and tapped Ed's shoulder lightly.  He turned around, a quizzical expression on his young face.

"I don't understand why you're friends with them, Ed," Harry said quietly.

The alchemist just laughed softly.  "Why's that?"

"Don't you know anything about Malfoy and his flunkies?" Hermione asked, sounding very much like a mother scolding her child.

"What, are you the authority on Draco Malfoy?" Ed joked.  "What do you guys know about him?"

Hermione rolled her eyes.  "In the six years that we've known him?"

"More than we care to," Harry muttered mysteriously.

Ed raised his eyebrows in surprise.  "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Hermione said quickly, pursing her lips together in agitation as she jabbed Harry in the ribs.  The dark-haired wizard winced as Hermione moved past them and began to walk out of the dungeon.

"Hermione, what-"

"Come on, Harry," she called.  "Ron's waiting for us.  He's not going to be happy to hear about Slughorn and his party."

Harry hesitantly followed his best friend out of the dungeon, flashing Ed an apologetic smile.  Meanwhile, Ed's mind was racing.  So Harry and his friends had known Draco for six years.  Made sense.  They _were_ classmates, and clearly Draco enjoyed picking on them when he could spare a minute to.  That was six years more than Ed did, and he was going to need all the information he could get on Malfoy if he wanted to get anywhere with his duties.  It was always better to get first-hand accounts rather than rely on reports.  After all, according to the reports Ed had read, Draco was listed as a good student, a true leader, and a role model for other Slytherins.  In the past few months that Ed had known him, Draco didn't quite act the way he was described.

He spun around on his heel and hurried out the door.  Zabini was just about to poke his head back into the room when Ed emerged quickly.  His gold eyes darted up and down the corridor wildly, searching for where the Gryffindors had gone.

"Hermione!"

The two Gryffindors stopped walking immediately and turned around to face Ed, clearly confused.  Zabini was equally confused, raising an eyebrow.

"Elric, what're you doing?"

The blonde drew in a deep breath and walked purposefully toward Harry and Hermione, a determined look on his face.  The brunette looked slightly worried, glancing over at Harry for help.  Harry could only shrug his shoulders in response.  Hermione bit down on her lip as Ed came to a stop a few feet away from them.

"Hermione."

"Um... yes?"

Ed's voice caught in his throat.  He really hadn't thought this all the way through.  Now that he was here, the ridiculousness of his new plan was hitting him in full force.  He lowered his gaze to the floor and a faint blush came to his cheeks.  He'd never done this before and wasn't entirely sure about how it was supposed to happen.  But he knew he had to do this.

"Yes?" Hermione was getting impatient.

"Umm... Would... Would you, uh... go to... y'know... to Slughorn's party... with me?"

A deathly silence reigned over everyone in the corridor.  Everyone froze, their eyes wide in a blend of horror and disbelief.  Harry and Zabini were completely dumbstruck, neither of them quite sure how to react.  Hermione looked as though her heart had leapt into her throat and she was basically choking on it.  Ed didn't dare raise his head and squeezed his eyes shut.  He could already imagine a wrench being thrown at his head.


	11. Missing Quidditch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This game is definitely not scientifically sound.

 

 

"I can't believe you asked Mudblood Granger to Slughorn's party!" Zabini raved as they approached the Slytherin common room, still in shock.

"Would you shut up already?" Ed growled.  Zabini hadn't stopped talking since they parted ways with Harry and Hermione and he was really starting to get on Ed's nerves.  "So what if I asked her?  I don't see what the big deal is."

They paused for a moment to say the password and pass through the newly opened doorway.  Malfoy and the others were already inside, lounging casually on the couches by the fireplace.  Everyone looked up at the two Slytherins as they entered, but Zabini's insistent ravings stopped them from saying a word to them.

"But she _agreed_ , Elric!" Zabini went on.  "It's a _very_ big deal!"

Ed gave a toothy grin.  "Don't tell me you're jealous that _I_ may have a date and _you don't_."

That comment shut Zabini up nicely.  Ed's grin grew mischievous as the tall Slytherin finally closed his mouth and turned away with a snort.  He grumbled something under his breath in annoyance.

"Eddy has a date?" Pansy squealed indignantly.  "A date to _what_?"

"To Slughorn's party," Zabini muttered, turning back to the others.

Draco just snorted, leaning back into the couch and turning away snobbishly.  "That right?  Who's he taking?"

"You'll never believe it," Zabini said, a wild look in his eyes, "but he asked _Granger_!"

Suddenly everyone's jaws dropped.  Pansy seemed perfectly horrified by the idea while Crabbe and Goyle both froze in shock, just the way Zabini had.  Malfoy suddenly turned back to look at Edward, a hateful look burning in his silver eyes.

"GRANGER?!" he echoed angrily.  "Why'd you ask _Granger_ of all people?"

The young alchemist smiled innocently and casually shrugged his shoulders, which only served to upset the Slytherins further.  

"I dunno," he said airily.  "She’s kinda pretty. So I just... asked."

Everyone began to talk at once, so quickly that the words stumbled over one another.  A part of Ed was enjoying the chaos he had created.  The only reason he asked Hermione was to get some background information on Draco.  It was a purely platonic interest.  This was all military research for the sake of Ed's mission.  There was nothing sweet or romantic about the situation.  Then again, he hadn’t been lying when he said she was kind of pretty...

Suddenly Ed found his cheeks flushing slightly and he turned away, scratching the back of his head nervously.  "It's not a big deal, okay?  So I'm going with Hermione to Slughorn's party, whoop-dee-flippin'-doo."

"You're calling her by _name_?" said Pansy, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

Ed raised an eyebrow.  "Um... yeah.  So?"

The pug-faced Slytherin turned away, raising her chin snobbishly in the air.  Ed just rolled his eyes.  The whole house rivalry thing was getting old.  Draco continued to glare daggers at the small alchemist, steam practically blowing out of his ears.  Zabini noticed this and snickered.

"What's wrong, Malfoy?  Do I detect a hint of jealousy?"

Draco growled.  "Jealous of what?  Elric having a date with some filthy know it all bint?  Not on your life, you wanker."

A tiny smile was on Zabini's face.  "Filthy or what, Granger _is_ a bit of a looker, eh?"

Angrier than ever, Draco shot another hateful glare at Ed.  Ed just stuck his hands into his pockets, smiling back at him innocently.

"I thought you said you'd never touch a blood traitor!" Pansy shrieked at Blaise objectively, jumping to her feet.

"I didn't say anything about touching her," Zabini shot back.  "It doesn't hurt to look, though.  It's awful hard to find purebloods that attractive."

He gave Pansy a meaningful look and her face instantly twisted with rage, which made Blaise grin.  He glanced at Draco, who was now glaring into the fireplace, and his grin grew wider.  Ed tried very hard to suppress his laughter as he watched Pansy's face turn from red to a dark shade of purple.  She eventually thrust her chin into the air with a loud "hmph" and started for the door.

"I'm hungry!" she announced as though somebody cared.  "Let's go to dinner, Drakey!"

Malfoy rolled his eyes slowly so that he could see Pansy out of the corner of his eye.  He didn't seem particularly pleased with the idea of joining _anyone_ for dinner, but still got to his feet and followed Pansy out of the room.  He shouldered Ed roughly as he passed.  Normally Ed would have fought back somehow, but this time he just grinned.  Crabbe and Goyle, though still shocked into silence, scrambled to their feet to catch up to their leader.

Zabini elbowed Ed gently, a playful, teasing grin on his face.  "Y’know what?  Now I’m glad you asked Granger. This is gonna be fun."

He then hurried to catch up, calling after Pansy and Draco.  Edward was the last to leave the common room.  His grin grew as he tapped a finger to his chin thoughtfully, a scheming glimmer in his gold eyes.  He'd definitely made the right call.

 

Thanks to Zabini and Pansy's very loud discussion of Ed's date to Slughorn's party over dinner, the news had reached every corner of the castle by the next morning.  It seemed as though everyone in school was talking about it.  In fact, the second Ed stepped into the Great Hall for breakfast, a cold shiver ran up and down his spine.  Everyone had paused for a moment to look at him, and Ed could practically feel all the different kinds of glares from around the room on his skin.  Hermione casually brushed off everyone's comments to her, though it seemed that Ron was giving her the hardest time out of anyone.  Ed chose to ignore anyone that bothered him about it.

Other than the buzzing rumors that began flying around, the rest of the month passed smoothly.  Draco's Quidditch practices became more and more frequent, since they had an upcoming game against Gryffindor, and it seemed to be wearing him thin.  Ed wasn't particularly keen on watching the Slytherin team's practice sessions, so he took advantage of those times to send his reports and his letters to Al.  Alphonse was shocked to hear about Ed asking Hermione out on a date and made it a point to somehow tease him about it in every one of his letters from then on.  And, surprisingly enough, Ed had also received a letter from Hawkeye asking if Mustang was with him in Hogwarts.  Which was weird, since Edward had assumed the colonel headed back to East City as soon as he’d boarded the train.

It was suddenly the morning of the Quidditch game with Gryffindor, and yet Draco didn't seem to be particularly enthusiastic about it.  At all.  In fact he just seemed exhausted, ready to turn around and go right back to bed.  The other Slytherins were the excited ones, going on and on about how they would definitely win against the Gryffindors this year.

"So this year for sure, right?" Crabbe/Goyle said for the millionth time, stuffing a spoonful of muesli into his mouth.

"Yeah," Zabini told him with an evil grin.  "Potty and his losers are going down."

Ed rolled his eyes as he swallowed his food.  From what he had heard, the Slytherin team hadn't been able to win a Quidditch game against Gryffindor ever since Harry signed on.

"Geez, you guys are like broken records," he said.  "I'm gonna laugh if you guys lose.  The odds are completely against you."

The other Slytherins simultaneously shot Ed a mean glare, sending a sudden chill up and down his spine.

"You realize that a loss for us is a loss for _you_ too, Edward," Pansy told him icily, not using his annoying nickname for once.

Crabbe/Goyle cracked his knuckles in a vaguely threatening manner.  Ed just rolled his eyes again, not daunted in the slightest, and turned his attention back to the mountains of food on his plate.

"Yeah, sure," he muttered, stuffing several slices of bacon into his mouth.He’d never pledged himself to the house, so really, what did he care?

Before anyone could say anything more, Draco quickly rose to his feet, drawing everyone's attention back to him.  The others all looked at him expectantly as though he were supposed to deliver some sort of inspirational speech, but he merely looked coolly at each one of them in turn.  He glared slightly at Ed, holding there just long enough for Ed to really notice how spent Draco looked.  Dark bags had been growing under his eyes for a while now, but today they seemed especially pronounced against his skin, which also seemed to have become a shade paler than usual.  Ed's eyebrows came together.  What the hell happened to him?

"I'm off to prepare for the game," Draco told them, moving to leave.

"Okay!" Pansy chirped, back to being excited.  "Good luck!"

"Crush 'em, Malfoy!" said Crabbe and Goyle in unison.

"Wait a second," Ed said sternly, grabbing Draco by the wrist to stop him.  "You don't look too good.  Maybe you shouldn't play."

Malfoy narrowed his eyes and wrenched his arm away, looking as though he had never been more insulted in his life.  "What are you, my mother?" he barked.  "I'm _fine_.  Just leave me alone."

"Yeah," Zabini said.  "Besides, Malfoy's our seeker!  He can't just sit the game out.  Am I right or am I right?"

As Zabini turned to look at the other Slytherins at the table within earshot, each one of them nodded their heads in agreement.

"You can't just have one person for that position," Ed argued.  "It's not logical.  There _has_ to be a backup player in case someone can't make it.  That's why it's a _team_."

But his argument was ignored as everyone told Draco to go ahead, wishing him luck just as Pansy had.  Malfoy glared at Ed again before briskly marching out of the Great Hall.  Unable to do anything else, Ed just watched him leave, his gold eyes narrowed.

Many other students began to prepare to leave after another moment, chattering eagerly amongst themselves about the game as they did so.  Ed and the others stayed at the table for a little while longer as they hadn't finished their food just yet, even though Zabini and Pansy seemed very keen on getting to the Quidditch pitch as quickly as possible and finding good seats.  They were, in fact, so eager that the instant their plates were clean, Pansy and Zabini practically pushed Ed, Crabbe, and Goyle out of the Great Hall and off toward the field.

Ed was pulled into a seat with Draco's friends at the top of a high tower, overlooking a large, oval-shaped stadium of some sort.  There were three hoops on both ends of the field that towered high in the air, looking very much like giant soap bubble wands.  The entire field was surrounded by huge towers for the spectators, one of which Ed was sitting in at that very moment.  Half of the towers were filled with people dressed in silver and green and were decorated with green banners bearing the Slytherin crest.  Not surprisingly, the other half was decorated in red and gold, the Gryffindor crest emblazoned boldly on their banners.  Everyone was getting increasingly excited for the game, anxiously peering down at the field every now and then.

He surveyed his surroundings, looking at everyone's faces.  Ed wasn't sure he'd even like this sport.  From what he had read and heard about Quidditch, it definitely wasn't scientifically sound.  Flying around on brooms?  Of all the things that he heard about magic, flying around on broomsticks struck him as the most ridiculous.  It completely ignored the principle of equivalent exchange, not to mention the laws of physics, and was the greatest stereotype of all time.  Needless to say, it bothered him, just like most everything else Ed had learned about magic.  The other Slytherins assured him that he would probably enjoy it once he actually got to watch a game, but he still wasn't convinced.

"Is there gonna be a game or not?" he muttered, folding his arms indignantly over his chest.  He glared at the empty field below.  "I'm getting bored, here."

Zabini laughed, slapping Ed's back.  "You're as impatient as Malfoy!"

Ed could feel his eye twitch in protest, his frown deepening to cover up the fact that he wanted to scream.   _'I'm nothing like that elitist bastard!'_

"The match should be starting soon," Pansy assured Ed with a nod, unaware of the anger boiling under his skin.

Then, as though on Pansy's cue, a gate opened on both sides of the pitch.  Everyone began to cheer wildly as two teams of students strode out, brooms in hand.  Zabini, Pansy, Crabbe, and Goyle all leapt to their feet at once, yelling and whooping for their green and silver clad representatives.  Ed eyed each member of the two teams, sizing them up.  He frowned slightly.  He didn't see Draco out among the Slytherins.

"Hey, what happened to Drakey?" Pansy squealed, also noticing his absence.

"He must have taken my advice," Ed said after a moment.  "I'll go see how he's doing."

As he slowly wormed his way out from amongst the row of cheering Slytherins, Pansy seized Ed's jacket sleeve and stopped him.  The worry in her face was shockingly genuine.  "I'll go with you."

"No need," Ed told her, waving one hand dismissively.  "Just one person should be enough.  Besides, he's probably in the changing room and I don't think you'd be allowed in there."

Pansy stuck out her lower lip in a pout before giving in and returning to her seat.  As the Quidditch match began, Ed exited the stands and made his way to the changing room.  He let out a breath of relief as he walked, stuffing his hands into his pockets and wondering whether or not to take his time with the little trip.  He wasn't exactly eager to rejoin Draco's cronies to watch a sport that he didn't understand very well.  Then again, he had to be sure of the Malfoy heir's whereabouts at all times in case of another Katie Bell-like incident, so hurrying was a good idea.

He entered the changing room and looked around.  There didn't seem to be anyone inside.  Ed raised an eyebrow in confusion and hesitantly took a step forward.

"Draco, you in here?"

No answer.  Ed moved further into the room, looking around him in all directions.  He peered into several of the open lockers, wondering idly which one of them was Malfoy's.

"Hey, Malfoy!  Where'd ya go?"

Still no answer.  The young alchemist folded his arms over his chest, his brow furrowed slightly in confusion.  He then moved toward the exit, throwing one last glance back at the changing room.  Ed then shrugged his shoulders and left, this time heading for the Slytherin dorms.  Draco had probably gone back to catch up on the sleep that he seemed to be missing out on.  Which was also very strange, since Draco generally went to sleep around the same time as everyone else...

When Ed entered the common room, he found that it was completely abandoned.  Apparently, everyone had gone to watch the Quidditch match.  The same could be said for most of Hogwarts, actually; the corridors and courtyards were all relatively empty, but he hadn’t seen Draco anywhere that he’d gone by.  With a frown, Ed made his way to their dorm, knocking on the door before allowing himself in.

And then he blinked, confused.  Draco wasn't here either.  His eyes darted around the room, checking to see if Draco _had_ been there.  But there was no sign of him either way.  With a resigned sigh, Ed turned on his heel and started to leave.  The only place left now was the infirmary.

The hospital wing was one place that Ed had yet to really acquaint himself with.  He knew where it was thanks to a quick tour that Draco and Pansy had taken him on once before, but he preferred to stay away from it at all costs because of his auto-mail.  He took a deep breath as he reached the entrance, hoped not to get caught by whoever was in charge for a sudden checkup, and then walked in.

It was a large, simple room with beds lined up on the opposite walls.  There were a few curtains around the beds at the far end of the wing which were probably only used in case of an emergency.  Close to the entrance was a small office, which must have been the head nurse's.  As Ed looked around the room, it was clear that Draco hadn't confined himself here, either.

"Can I help you, young man?" came a stern voice.

A middle aged woman who had to be the head nurse bustled out of her office, wiping her hands dry on her apron.  She was looking Ed over as though searching for any sign of injury or sickness.  Ed just smiled nervously in her direction and slowly inched out the door.

"Just looking for someone," he said quickly, turning around to leave.  "But thanks."

The nurse nodded and slowly turned back to reenter her office.  Just then, Ed stopped in his tracks as a thought occurred to him and looked back at the nurse, a serious expression on his face.

"Actually, maybe you _can_ help me," he called, drawing her attention.  "Has Draco Malfoy been in here today?"

"Draco Malfoy?" the head nurse echoed, giving Ed an odd look.  "No, he hasn't."

"Damn it," Ed cursed softly.  Then, in a louder voice he added, "Thanks again."

He then hurried out of the infirmary and quickly made his way back to the Quidditch pitch.  He decided to check one more time, but somewhere deep down Ed knew that Draco had pulled a fast one on him again.  As he approached the stadium, people were filtering out and heading back to the school.  All of the Gryffindor students were cheering happily, practically dancing as they walked.  The Slytherin students scowled at them, muttering angrily under their breath.  A small grin appeared on Ed's face.  He should have bet money on their loss.

Ed weaved his way through the slowly thickening crowd and headed for the Slytherin team's changing room.  Inside, several team members seemed to be throwing angry fits while others simply looked disheartened, having resigned themselves to their fate.

"Hey guys!" Ed called cheerily as he entered.  "You're all looking exceptionally gloomy today.  Bad game, huh?"

No one looked up.  A few of them growled as they changed out of their uniforms.  Someone threw a damp towel at one of the others, muttering something to him angrily.  Ed smirked as he looked over each of the players, not caring that they probably wanted to kill him.

"I'll be blunt, then.  What happened to Malfoy?"

The boy with the damp towel on his face flinched slightly.  Several other players suddenly came to life and began to talk all at once.  Some of them sounded furious, especially one boy that Ed discovered was the team captain.

"I oughta throw him off the team!" he raved as he approached Edward.  "That Malfoy only shows up for every other practice, and then he has the balls to call in sick the day of the match!"

"He only goes to every other practice?" Ed echoed, blinking in confusion.

"If we're lucky!" the captain went on.  "And on top o' that, Vaisey takes a bludger to the head during practice, so we've lost some of our best players in a shot!"

The captain continued to rage at the unlucky circumstances of their game, which was only getting the other players more riled up.  Ed just lowered his gaze to the floor, his mind racing.  As realization dawned on him, he clenched his teeth angrily, balling his hands into tight fists.   _That bastard._  He should've known.  He at least could've _guessed_ , and honestly that was just a little more infuriating.

Before the Slytherin team could start fighting amongst themselves, Ed quickly thanked the captain and darted back out the door, mentally cursing Malfoy several different ways to hell.  As he reentered the school grounds and turned a corner, he crashed rather violently into somebody and they both tumbled to the floor.  Ed quickly pulled himself together, sitting up and shaking his head.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

Actually, he wasn't really sorry at all.  He was annoyed and angry, partially with whoever he had bumped into, but mostly with Draco.  Ed was ready to pick himself up, make a mad dash down the hall, and leave whoever had fallen to the floor in his dust.

"That's alright," said a familiar voice.  "I-I'm sorry, too.  I wasn't looking where I was going, and..."

Ed looked across the wide corridor to see who it was and saw Hermione Granger, looking very upset and on the verge of tears.  He blinked in shock as he looked at her, all thought of finding Malfoy pushed to one side.

"Hermione?  Are you okay?"

The bushy-haired girl slowly looked back up at him and her eyes grew wide.  Hermione quickly turned away, apparently embarrassed to have been caught in such a state, and rose to her feet.  She smoothed over her robes and skirt, trying to make herself look dignified.  She sniffled slightly, wiping her face with one hand.

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," Ed said as he got up.  "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Hermione answered quickly with a shake of her head, still not quite looking at him.  "Look, I... I've got to get going."

With that, she hurried away, rounding a corner in the hallway and vanishing out of sight.  Ed watched her go for a moment, idly wondering what could have happened.  Then he simply shook his head, put the matter aside for the time being, and hurried down the hall in the opposite direction.  Find Malfoy first.  Hope beyond hope that _this_ disappearance didn't lead to another injured student.

Or a dead one.

Ed searched the castle several times over, from the dungeons to the North Tower, but there was still no sign of Draco anywhere.  It was almost as though he had disappeared into thin air (which may very well have happened, for all Ed knew about magic).  He didn't think he left any rooms out of his search.  It seemed to him like he'd now run around so much, he had the entire layout of the school memorized.  And after catching a glimpse of the stock in the school library, he made a mental note to make a trip there sometime soon.  How he had stayed away from that library for so long, Ed wasn't sure.

Draco was still missing throughout dinner, which made Pansy whine and complain in the most annoying manner possible all night long.  Which made it all the more frustrating when he showed up quite suddenly just as everyone left the Great Hall and headed for the dorms.  

Zabini's eyebrows arched upward in surprise.  "Malfoy?"

The platinum blonde boy turned at the sound of his name, a tired look on his face.  "What?"

Ed clenched his teeth angrily.  "Where the _hell_ have you been?!" he shouted from down the hall, fighting the urge to rush over and punch him in the nose.

He groaned and rolled his eyes.  "None of your business."

_'It_ is _my business, dammit!'_ Ed wanted to scream, but resisted.

Pansy was the first to approach Draco, running toward him and smothering him in one of her insane hugs that she reserved especially for him.  However, the moment was short-lived as she suddenly pushed him away with fire in her eyes.

"Where did you run off to, Drakey?" she scolded him sharply.  "I was worried sick about you!"

"Looks like _he's_ the sick one, Pansy," said Crabbe/Goyle as everyone approached.  "What were you doing all afternoon?"

"You ran out on a game against _Gryffindor_ , Malfoy!" Zabini raved, running his hands over his head.  "You've never passed up an opportunity to humiliate Potty and his little friends before."

Draco just shrugged his shoulders carelessly in response.  "Well, I just didn't feel up to it today.  I was a little under the weather, you realize."

"You were insisting that you'd be able to play before the game," Ed pointed out, his voice firm.

A pair of weary-looking silver eyes slowly turned to look at Edward.  "Well.  That was before I got to the pitch, wasn't it?"

The alchemist narrowed his eyes.  "I don't buy that."

Malfoy turned away again.  "Too bad, 'cause that's the truth."

Before Ed could get in another word, everyone began to tell both him and Draco what happened at the Quidditch game they had missed.  They took extra care to mention how they probably would have won if Draco had been there, but the Slytherin seeker didn't care.  In fact, Draco didn't seem to be particularly interested in hearing about the game at all.  Ed only half-listened to their account of the match, but his mind was mostly preoccupied with much more important things.

What was Draco up to?  Why did it involve lying to some friends and forcing others to cover for him?  And where did he disappear to whenever he got the chance?


	12. The Sorcerer's Stone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A break in the library.

 

Draco suddenly seemed to be getting into trouble with practically all of his teachers, much to his own chagrin.  Though he still did well on tests in class, he was often chastised for his increasingly careless wand work and for several missing assignments.  He landed himself several detentions among various teachers as time wore on.  Much to the rest of their House's relief, his academic sufferings wasn't taking any points away from them, but because of his many punishments Draco was seen less and less with his usual flock of lackeys.  As a result, Pansy spent less time with the boys and more with other Slytherin girls (a change which none of the boys complained about very much) and the world discovered that Crabbe and Goyle did in fact have the ability to think for themselves (to an extent).

On the other hand, the numerous detentions Draco received caused problems for Ed and his mission.  He obviously wasn't allowed to sit in his detention times and just waiting outside of the professor's office or classroom didn't sit well with him.  So, just as he had with the "Quidditch practices" (a trick which Ed was still furious about), Ed spent those times either at the owlery or at the library.  However, he knew of Draco's trickery better now and always made sure to "accidentally" bump into the Slytherin the very moment he got out of detention.  Though sometimes he also got detention, usually with McGonagall concerning his consistent and stubborn refusal to transfigure live animals.

Today, however, Draco had an unusually severe detention with Professor Vector for falling asleep in their Arithmancy class.  His head had actually dropped down onto Ed's left shoulder, which he quickly shoved off and allowed to fall to the desk with a rather loud thud.  The noise had drawn the attention of the entire class on to Draco, and Professor Vector's punishment came down as swiftly and sharply as a ruler on the table.

Ed therefore confined himself in the library for the time being, scouring every book he could get his hands on for answers to his burning questions.  He had yet to find an explanation of magic and was starting to think that there was none, which was even more frustrating for a scientist like himself.

Libraries had always been appealing to the Elric brothers.  They'd been in numerous libraries and studies in the past four years, almost always reading research journals and textbooks of the most complex material.  One of their more recent trips to the library had been rather disastrous, however.  Ten straight days of being holed up in the Central Library, decoding an alchemic research journal and finding "the truth within the truth."  Plus another episode of the patented Edward Elric recklessness...

Ed groaned, shutting the latest book with a soft slap.  He chucked it onto the table with the others and leaned back in his seat, rubbing his eyes free of the weariness.  He must have been reading for several hours now.  His eyes were starting to ache from the strain.

"Edward?"

He removed his hand from his eyes and looked up to see who was there.  Standing next to one of the nearby bookshelves was Hermione, staring wide-eyed at the piles of books on the table in front of Ed.  She was carrying several thick books in her arms as well, but she was clearly awestruck.

"Oh, uh, hi Hermione."

"Did you... You didn't actually read _all_ of these books, did you?" Hermione squeaked, astonished.

Ed scratched the back of his neck with a soft, nervous laugh.  "Is it _that_ hard to believe?"

Hermione nodded, her lips pursed together.  She then moved forward, placing her books on the table and looking over some of the titles that Ed had gone through.  She smiled slightly as she noticed some of the thicker books.

"And they say _I'm_ a bookworm," she murmured amusedly.  "I think maybe you should have been sorted into Ravenclaw."

Ed smiled wistfully as he recalled a certain mousy-looking girl with glasses.  "Trust me, there are bigger bookworms out there than you or me."  His smile grew as he remembered the piles of books she had recreated from memory.  "There really are some incredible people in the world."

The Gryffindor looked up at Ed curiously.  "How do you mean?"

He laughed softly and shook his head.  "It's nothing.  Forget it."

Hermione gave him an odd look before rolling her eyes and dismissing it.  "Anyway, what are you reading all these for?  Looking for something?"

Edward hesitated for a moment, his eyes traveling over the piles of books on the table.  He couldn't just tell her that he was researching magic because he was a scientist and needed to understand how it worked.  It would just be opening up a whole new set of questions that Ed was not willing nor was he allowed to answer.  At length, he just nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders.

"Just needed something to read."

She nodded her head knowingly.  "I see."

"What about you?  What's all that for?"  Ed gestured at the books Hermione put on the table.

"Some light reading," she said, practically beaming.

"That so?"  He reached over and picked up the first thick book in her pile and examined the cover.  " _'Olde and Forgotten Bewitchments and Charms'_?  What's this for?"

Hermione just smiled, tucking some stray hair behind her ear.  "Harry, Ron, and I came across this book during our fourth year and I never really got the chance to properly read it. I just thought it would be interesting to have a look at, that's all."

Ed nodded slowly.  He definitely had to admire her work ethic and her dedication to school, even if it was something he didn’t necessarily understand. He then put the book back down and looked at the next book in Hermione's pile.  His eyes suddenly went wide.  It was a heavy, musty-looking book with a dark brown cover.  It looked extremely old, as though no one had touched it for years.  Drawn faintly on the cover was what seemed to be a transmutation circle of some sort, though it was hard to tell because of the book's age.  Ed opened the cover and looked at the title page, his eyes still wide.

" _'The Beginner's Guide to Alchemy'_...?"

He tried to mask his surprise, glancing curiously over at Hermione.  The girl just beamed proudly, pushing some more hair out of her face.

"Can you believe I found that?" she said animatedly.  "I didn't know they had it here.  I never noticed it before, but it _was_ sorted out of its genre.  Would you imagine, finding that in the fiction section of the library?  Honestly!"

A small smirk had made its way onto Ed's face, genuinely amused that an alchemy book was in Hogwarts at all.  "Why're you so interested in alchemy, Hermione?"

Still smiling proudly, Hermione flicked some hair over her shoulder.  "Well, it started back in our first year.  You see, Harry, Ron, and I heard about this..."

Ed nodded absent-mindedly, her voice slowly getting tuned out as he turned his attention to the book in his hands.  What did these wizards know about alchemy?  He'd never thought to ask anyone about the subject in order to keep himself and his specialty a secret.  But to think that they might actually know something about alchemy was just a little exciting.  He flipped to the first page and began to read the introduction:

_Alchemy is a form of very advanced magic that few are able to perform.  When performed successfully, it can be used to transform, or transmute, one sort of material into another.  It was a much sought after art in the past, mainly to find a way to turn lead into gold.  However..._

A disappointed frown appeared on Ed's face.  Whoever wrote the book had no idea what they were talking about.  Or they were talking about something else and had just called it 'alchemy.'  Or maybe the book and its contents were completely outdated.  Regardless, they weren't talking about _his_ alchemy.  For starters, alchemy was a _science_ , not an art, and certainly not a form of magic.  Ed quickly skimmed through the rest of the chapters.  Not a single word on the principle of equivalent exchange, either.  It was wrong.  It really _did_ belong with the other fiction books.  What was all this emphasis on being able to turn lead into gold?  And an 'elixir of life'?  Had he even read that correctly?

He sighed in annoyance as he shut the book with a soft slap.  He was about to put it back down on the table when two words pierced through Ed's senses.

"... Stone, or the _Philosopher's_ Stone, as some call it.  He..."

He instantly froze, the book hovering just centimeters over the pile it belonged to.  Slowly, Ed looked back up at Hermione, his gold eyes wide in amazement.

"What did you just say?"

Hermione looked confused and offended all at once.  "About Nicolas Flamel?  Well, I was just saying that he's a famous alchemist.  He created the Sorcerer’s Stone.  Some people call it the Philosopher's Stone, but anyway..."

"He... He _created_ it?" Ed choked out.  "He actually _created_ the Philosopher's Stone?"

"Well," Hermione stammered, "yes.  Yes, he did."

An unsettling feeling erupted in his stomach and Ed thought he was going to be sick.  He rubbed his forehead and his voice became soft, shaking with disgust.  "What kind of sick bastard would _actually_..."

"Is something wrong?" Hermione wanted to know.

"Does anyone know how he made the stone?" Ed asked, raising his voice slightly as he looked at the Gryffindor with a very serious expression on his face.  "Are there any records of his research, or any books he may have published?"

She gave a small start at the look on his face and turned away.  "I'm not entirely sure, but... I suppose the headmaster would know something of it.  After all-"

"Thanks."

Ed shoved the alchemy book into Hermione's hands as he brushed past and left the library, leaving a very stunned Hermione Granger in his wake.  He quickly made his way down corridors and up stairs to the headmaster's office, walking with such urgency in his step that no one dared to stand in his path.  He pulled out his pocket watch briefly and glanced at the time.  He had just over an hour before Draco was released from his detention with Professor Vector.

By the time he reached the gargoyle that marked the entrance to the headmaster's office, Ed realized that he didn't know how to get inside.  He vaguely remembered McGonagall saying some sort of password, but Ed couldn't remember what it was.  Either way, Ed didn't have time to just stand out there dumbly.  He glared at the gargoyle.

"I need to talk to the headmaster," Ed growled, as though the statue could understand him.  "Lemme in there, or you're gonna be a pile of pebbles on the floor."

Interestingly enough, the gargoyle actually did jump out of the way and the moving staircase was revealed to him.  Ed blinked in surprise.  Had his threat actually worked?  Was that damn gargoyle... _alive_?  He shook his head, pushing the thought out of his mind.  No.  That had to have been the headmaster's doing.  He just darted up the steps, taking them two at a time, and arrived in front of Dumbledore's office in no time at all.  The headmaster obviously expected him, since he had to have been the one to move the gargoyle away, but the jovial twinkle in his blue eyes faded slightly when he saw the serious, urgent look on the young state alchemist's face as he burst through the doors.

"How may I help you, Edward?"

Ed clenched his fists at his sides and stepped closer to the desk.  "Remember you offering to let me borrow any of your books at the start of the term?"

Dumbledore's eyes flickered over to look at the large bookshelves. "Yes, I do."

"I'm gonna have to take you up on that."

 

While the books in Dumbledore's office were much more informative than those in the library, Ed was still at a loss for leads concerning the Philosopher's Stone.  He couldn't seem to find much of anything on alchemy, and what he found about Nicolas Flamel seemed to be the same thing over and over again.  Even so, he wasn't about to give up.  Ed was now sitting on the floor with his back pressed against the shelf, completely surrounded by a mess of open books that he was finished with and yet another thick text open in his hands.

The headmaster had been watching Edward, leaning forward on his desk with his fingers interlaced.  It was hard to tell if he was fascinated by the alchemist's behavior or if he was analyzing him.  Maybe both.  The boy had been at it for almost an hour.

"What are you searching for, Edward?" Dumbledore asked him at length.

It took a moment for Ed to even realize that the headmaster had spoken to him, having been so absorbed in the material he was reading.  He raised his golden eyes slightly from the text of his book to look at the old wizard.

"Hm?  Sir?"

"What is it that you are searching for?" the headmaster reiterated.

Ed hesitated before responding.  "Headmaster, what do you know about the Philosopher's Stone?"

Suddenly, Dumbledore looked as though dawn had just broken out over his face.  He nodded slowly, a small smile on his lips.  "I see...  I take it you are searching for the research of Nicolas Flamel, then."

The fact that the old wizard understood things so quickly was a little unnerving.  Ed hesitated for a moment again, averting his gaze.

"I... I need to know how he did it," he said quietly.  "How to create a Philosopher's Stone... When my brother and I first learned how it was done, we were... disgusted.  I couldn't believe it.  To sacrifice living humans...  I thought about giving up completely, but then realized there was something more to it.  So..."  Ed looked back up, his gold eyes gleaming with determination.  "I need to know.  If Flamel knew something or used some alternate method, then I need to know."

Dumbledore wore an unreadable expression.  He just gazed at Edward, studying every detail of his face.  "May I ask... what you need the stone for?"

There was a long silence and Ed turned away again.  He shut his eyes as the painful memories resurfaced and gripped his auto-mail arm.  Images of his younger brother flashed in his mind's eye; images of both his true, natural born face and of his empty shell of armor.

"There's something I have to do," he said at last.  "I... I did something horrible.  It's my fault, and it's my duty to fix it."

The headmaster nodded again as he absorbed what Ed was telling him.  After a moment, he rose to his feet and walked toward Edward solemnly.  "It was here, you know."

Ed's eyes shot open and grew wide.  _What_?  He slowly looked up at the old wizard, his mouth slightly agape.  "You mean..."

"The stone was here."

"It was?!" he yelled excitedly, leaping to his feet.  "Really?!  Where is it now?!"

There was a pause.  "We had to destroy it.  Almost five years ago."

Ed's heart sank into his stomach.  He suddenly felt sick again and had to grip the shelf behind him for support.  The circular room seemed to be spinning.  "Destroyed...?" he could hear himself say, his voice just over a whisper.  "Then... the sacrifices of all those people... Their lives..."

"However, I do not believe that stone was the one you are searching for."  Dumbledore placed a steadying hand on Ed's shoulder.  "No lives were taken, or sacrificed.  No one was harmed."

"A... different stone?" Ed murmured, his eyes still wide.  "Then... what...?"

"The stone that Nicolas Flamel created," the headmaster explained, "gave a person the ability to turn lead into gold and was a key element in creating the Elixir of Life.  Voldemort wished to use the stone to restore himself, perhaps to gain the immortality that the Elixir granted, which is the very reason we agreed to destroy it."  He then looked meaningfully at Edward.  "But the stone of which you speak appears to be of a different nature.  It is meant to... act as an alchemic amplifier of some sort.  Am I wrong?"

Ed was silent for a moment as he rolled the words over in his head.  "No, you're right," he said slowly.  He then sighed in relief, leaning back against the shelf.  "So it's a different stone... No one was killed."

Dumbledore smiled slightly, nodding his head.  "That's right."

"But that means," Ed muttered with a disheartened groan, "I'm back to square one."

He groaned again and hung his head in defeat, at which Dumbledore just laughed softly.  He then pulled out his wand and used magic to return all the books that Ed had taken down in his frenzied search.  Ed took a deep, calming breath as he composed himself.

"I'll just have to keep looking, then.  Maybe there's a way to create the stone Al and I are looking for with..."  He hesitated to admit it, but he pressed onward.  "With magic."

"Let me know if I can be of any further assistance," said Dumbledore, returning to his desk.

"Would it be all right to ask you to maybe keep an eye out for any of Flamel's research documents for me?  I'm sure they'd really help out."

The headmaster's smile grew.  "Of course."

Ed gave him a boyish grin as he turned to leave, but then halted when his eye caught on something.  He quickly pulled out a book entitled _'Where There's A Wand, There's A Way'_ from the shelf and raised it slightly so the headmaster could see.

"I'm just gonna borrow this one," he said.  "Thanks!"

"Oh, Edward," Dumbledore called out, "one more thing, before I forget."

The young alchemist froze in place and turned back to look at the headmaster expectantly.  A merry twinkle could be seen in Dumbledore's blue eyes.

"The password is 'Acid Pops.'  Just so you don't have to threaten my gargoyle anymore."

The headmaster winked playfully.  Ed's cheeks flushed a little in embarrassment, a sheepish grin on his face as he pulled open the main door and slipped out of the office.


	13. The Dating Problem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Give me a war over a date any day of the week. I'll take it." - Edward Elric

Winter descended upon Hogwarts with a thick blanket of sleet and snow (which was never a good thing for someone with metal limbs).  The first semester was almost over and their winter break would be starting soon.  Everyone at Hogwarts was brimming with excitement; some just wanted classes to end and others were eagerly anticipating their Christmas presents.  

As for Edward, he suddenly found himself swamped with letters from Amestris.  Several were from Al, but the larger bulk came from headquarters, all with essentially the same message: Have you seen Roy Mustang?  Roy had apparently told everyone that he was leaving on business to check up on Ed, but since Ed hadn't seen the bastard and therefore had no idea where he was, the colonel had just plain gone missing.  Ed didn't really care what had happened just as long as it meant that Mustang wasn't around to bother him.  On the other hand, he had to wonder where his reports were going.

By now, everyone had heard about Slughorn's upcoming Christmas party and it quickly became the most popular thing to talk about.  Many students that wanted to go were slithering up to those who were invited.  Zabini had asked some blonde Ravenclaw girl or something and many girls were apparently competing for Harry's attention.  Fortunately for Ed, no one was pining over him since they already knew he was going with Hermione (which Alphonse was still teasing him about).  Yet every time he walked past a group of girls in the hall, they would all watch him forlornly and release a round of dramatic sighs.

All the excitement over the party seemed to irritate Draco more than anything, probably because he hadn't been invited.  Every time he heard someone mention the party he would scowl in annoyance and mutter something about how he had something to do that night anyway.

The last day of classes for the semester arrived and the student body was alive with thought of vacation and Slughorn's party to be held that night.  Those who were invited were fussing over their dates and what to wear while the people who wanted to go were still trying to find a way in.  Ed couldn't say he was really looking forward to Slughorn's party, but he couldn't help feeling anxious about it.

"So Elric, what time are you and Granger meeting tonight?"

Ed practically choked on his food at the question and was thrown into a full blown coughing fit.  Crabbe and Goyle snickered at the reaction while Draco turned indignantly away, refusing to pay attention.  Pansy pulled a disgusted face when she heard the question, even though she was currently engaged in a conversation with some of the other Slytherin girls.  Meanwhile, Blaise Zabini, the fiend that asked the question, was looking at Ed with a smug expression on his face.

"H-Huh?"

Zabini gave a sly smile, elbowing Ed teasingly.  "Your Mudblood date to Slughorn's party, remember?"

He could feel his face burn slightly as he reached for his pumpkin juice and started to gulp it all down.  Blaise's smile seemed to be growing.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten!  Hard to forget an arse like hers, I'd think."

His pumpkin juice almost sprayed out across the table and straight into Crabbe/Goyle's dumb face.  Pansy looked just as shocked and even reached over to slap Zabini's arm, interrupting the conversation she was having with the other girls.  

"Would you shut the bloody hell _up_ , Zabini?" Draco snarled, his attempt to ignore the conversation failing miserably.

Zabini just laughed out loud.  "Well don't leave us hanging, Elric!" he grinned.  "It's a simple question, you know."

Ed took a deep breath to compose himself, though his face was still slightly red.  "I don't know, okay?  I haven't talked to her about that yet."

"Sheesh," Zabini muttered, though still pleased at the scene he had caused.  "You're a total amateur at this, eh, Elric?  You realize the party is _tonight,_  don't you?"

The blonde just rolled his eyes as he worked on properly drinking his pumpkin juice.  "Just leave me alone.  I'll get around to it."

Zabini sighed, exasperated.  He suddenly rose to his feet, grabbing hold of Ed's arm and pulling him out of his seat.  Ed yelled out in surprise as Zabini dragged him across the Great Hall, his gold eyes wide in shock.

"What the hell are you doing?!"

" _I'll_ show you how it's done."

"N-No!" Ed shouted, struggling to break free.  "I don't need you showing me how it's done!  Back off!  Lemme go!"

He looked around the Great Hall frantically.  Everyone was staring at the scene they had caused and a few people were holding back their laughter.  Ed wanted very much to hit someone as they passed to shut them up, or maybe transmute the tables and scare them all so much they'd forget all about what was going on.  But he had no choice in the matter.  He could only look on as the Gryffindor table drew nearer and nearer.  There was a bewildered look on Hermione's face as Zabini dragged him toward her.  

"Hey, Granger!  Elric's got something to say."

Zabini grinned as he threw Ed forward.  Edward stumbled slightly, but quickly straightened himself.  He stood with his back straight and his arms pinned to his sides as though he were standing at strict attention in the Fuhrer's office.  Ron was giving Ed a mean look, in spite of the girl who had wrapped herself around him.  Harry, as well as most of the other Gryffindors nearby, just looked completely dumbfounded.  Hermione squirmed slightly in her seat, uncomfortable with all the attention they were getting.

"Hello Edward," she said, rather awkwardly.

"Uh..." Zabini gave Ed a rough nudge forward, prompting Ed to speak.  "H-Hi... Hermione..."

"Is there... something I can do for you?"

His cheeks were starting to burn.  He'd never been forced into a situation like this before.  He wasn't sure what to do and just stood there, his mind racing, desperately searching for something to say.  Ed was painfully aware of almost everyone in the Great Hall watching him, waiting to see what would happen next.  Zabini was growing increasingly annoyed with the silence and rolled his eyes.

"Since Elric's _obviously_ lost the ability for coherent speech," he said, slinging an arm over Ed's shoulder, "let me translate for him.  He'll be waiting here for you at, what say, eight o'clock sharp?  Ready to take you to Slughorn's party tonight.  Fine by you?"

Ed felt like his entire head had turned red.  Everyone turned their expectant gazes from him over to Hermione.  She glanced about her quickly then lifted her chin into the air.

"Um, sure," she said, trying to sound confident.  "That's fine."

Zabini smiled, giving Ed a hearty slap on the back.  "Right!  Then he'll see you later tonight!"

Hermione nodded her head and turned back to her meal.  Ed still felt like his face was on fire as Zabini pushed him back in the direction of the Slytherin table.

"See?" he told him, clearly pleased with himself.  "That wasn't so bad now, was it, Elric?  You take notes for the next time?"

"Next time," Ed growled, finding his voice at last, " _you_ can get dragged and shoved around like a rag doll, and _I'll_ be the one publicly humiliating you."

The grin on Zabini's face only grew.  "Very generous of you."

 

The rest of the day seemed to speed by.  Ed and Draco had no classes after lunch, so they spent the afternoon just lounging around.  Draco decided to take a nap in the dorms while Ed went through his books again, still trying to solve the great enigma that was magic and searching for information that may help his search for the Philosopher's Stone or anything like it.  He had started taking notes in his research notebook and was constantly examining them to see if he had overlooked anything.  Ed also killed some time wandering the halls while Draco was still asleep, stretching his cramped limbs.  While doing so, he saw a strange looking creature of some sort swooping up and down all the corridors screeching "Potty loves Loony" in the loudest, most annoying manner possible.

As night began to fall, Zabini came into the dormitory to get ready for his date to Slughorn's party.  Ed took that as a cue to get ready as well and excused himself to change into his usual black outfit.  When he reentered the room, Zabini was dressed in a black and white tuxedo and was standing in front of a full-length mirror that he had evidently conjured up.  Ed looked him over, his face expressionless.

"Nice tux."

"'Tucks'?  These are _dress robes_ , mate."

Ed raised an eyebrow at him then shrugged, moving toward his trunk to put away the school robes.  As far as he was concerned, it was a tuxedo.  He'd never even heard the term "dress robes" before.  Draco just narrowed his eyes at both of his roommates from where he lay stretched out on his bed.

"Zabini, you look like a bloody penguin," he muttered.

Blaise examined himself in the mirror.  He turned around to examine the backside and then ran one hand over his head, giving the mirror a charming smile as though he intended to seduce it.

"I think I look good," he said after a moment.  "If anyone needs to rethink their clothes, it's Elric."

Ed shut his trunk with a loud snap.  "Bite me."

" _Very_ charming," Zabini grinned.  "You're sure to get Granger into your bed that way."

Suddenly Draco sat straight up in the bed, his face red with rage.  He kept switching his angry glare between Zabini and Edward as though he couldn't decide which one of them he wanted to kill.  Ed's cheeks instantly flamed upward and he shot a dangerous look in Zabini's direction.

"Who said anything about getting her into my bed?" he shouted indignantly.  "I'm not a complete nymphomaniac like you!"

"Damn _right_ you're not getting her into your bed!" Draco yelled, finally deciding that he would hate Ed.  "You keep your hands off her!"

Just as he yelled, Crabbe and Goyle entered the room, only to freeze in their tracks at the doorway.  Everyone was now looking at Draco in a blend of amusement and shock.  Malfoy looked at each of them in turn, faltering slightly as his face started to redden even more, then finally leaned back on his bed.

"She's filth," he said quickly.  "For your own sake, keep your hands to yourself."

Ed smirked.  "Right."

"Ease off, Malfoy," said Zabini with a sly smile.  "I was only kidding.  Besides, I doubt if Granger would let Elric touch her at all."

Ed made a face.  He wasn't sure whether or not to be offended by that comment.  Crabbe and Goyle exchanged confused glances before finally shrugging and stepped into the room.  They both went to their respective trunks and started to pull out some school supplies and textbooks.  When Draco noticed this, he sat back up in bed, an incredulous look on his face.

"Crabbe, Goyle, what the hell are you doing?"

One of them looked up at Draco and groaned.  "Snape's given us detention."

"WHAT?!" Draco shouted indignantly, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.  "Detention?!  On the bloody last day of school?!"

The other one shut his trunk and hung his head.  "Yeah.  We're not doing so well in DADA."

"But what about-"

"Sorry, mate," Crabbe/Goyle mumbled as he walked toward the door.

"Yeah, sorry," said the other Crabbe/Goyle as he joined his other half at the door.

Then they both left the dorm, heading off to meet Snape and do whatever he told them to do as punishment.  Draco stared off in the direction they left, his eyes wide.  He then flopped back down in his bed, running his hands through his white-blonde hair in frustration.

"SNAPE!" he shouted, his voice shrill with rage.  "Bloody _Snape_ and his damned DADA class!  He doesn't know what the bloody hell he's doing!  He just... DAMN HIM!  This is total bollocks!"

Zabini snorted as he checked himself in the mirror again.  "Well, this is new, you ranting about Snape..."

"What?!"

"You've always been the one to stick up for him.  Thought he was your favorite teacher or something."

Malfoy grunted in response, settling himself back into bed with a scowl.

"Come to think of it," Ed said slowly, "weren't you supposed to go to his office after class the other day?  I thought I heard him say something."

"Uh-oh," Zabini winced.  "You know how he gets when you miss his appointments."

Draco snorted.  "Like I care."

Ed raised an eyebrow as he looked over at Draco.  Malfoy just glowered back at them with a look on his face that demanded silence.  Zabini smirked slightly as he tweaked his appearance, removing his tie and leaving the first few buttons of his white shirt undone.  Then, quickly spinning in place one last time, Zabini bid the others farewell and went off to meet his blonde Ravenclaw date.

Draco grunted after Zabini as he made himself comfortable, propping his head up with his arms and falling into a silent, thoughtful reverie.  Ed watched him for a moment, as though waiting for him to do something suspicious.  There were so many accusations at the tip of the state alchemist's tongue, but he still had nothing to support his claims.  He hadn't even really reported every detail of the situation to headquarters, in the off chance he turned out to be wrong; he only gave them half-truths and things they really needed to know, just in case.

As Ed watched Draco, he realized that the Malfoy heir looked more ill than ever.  He had noticed Draco starting to look more fatigued and sickly as time passed, but now there were definite shadows beneath his eyes and his skin had a distinct tinge of gray to it.  Ed narrowed his eyes.  He couldn't figure out why Draco was in such a state.  He didn't believe for a second the excuse Draco had been giving to Pansy and the others; that it was just the stress of receiving so many punishments and detentions.  He knew there was something else.

"What were you and the idiot duo supposed to do tonight?"

The Slytherin opened his eyes and glanced at Ed.  Ed studied his features, trying to see if he could figure something out just by looking at him.  But his blank expression gave away nothing.

"It's none of your business, Elric."

"I thought you'd say that," Ed grumbled.  It looked like he’d have to try to worm his way into his business.  Good plan.  It wasn't like there was a similar one in the works that had been backfiring for months.  "I just wanted to know if I could help or something."

Draco's face twisted into a sneer.  " _You_ want to _help_?  Bollocks."

Ed grunted.  Untrusting, suspicious little...  "It was just an offer."

"Besides," Draco hissed in disgust, "aren't you running late for your _date_ with Granger?" He put a special, disgusted emphasis on the word "date."

"Fine then," Ed muttered, narrowing his eyes.  "I'm going."

He looked down at his white gloves and adjusted them carefully so that nothing metallic could be seen.  Then, making sure he was presentable at least, Ed moved toward the door to leave.  Just before he stepped out of the room, he glanced back at Draco over his shoulder.

"Don't do anything stupid."

Malfoy threw him a dangerous glare.  "Get out of here and take your bloody concern with you.  I'll be just fine, thanks, so leave me alone."

He hesitated briefly before finally leaving the dorm and shutting the door behind him.  Ed wasn't concerned about whether or not Draco would be alright.  He was concerned about what that boy did when no one was looking.  Ed hated to admit it, but Mustang had been right at the start of term.  He had to befriend Draco somehow.  Otherwise, he wasn't going to get anywhere.

 

Maybe this was a bad idea.

Edward shuffled his feet as he waited for Hermione in front of the Great Hall.  He couldn't help but feel nervous.  He'd never done this before and he couldn't for the life of him remember the one time that he did ask a girl out (asking Winry to marry him when they were five, and did that even count?).  Any chances for interaction with people his age had been shot the day he left to become a dog of the military.  He'd never imagined - not once - that he would actually have to go on a date as part of a mission.

"Give me a war over a date any day of the week," he mumbled miserably to himself.  "I'll take it.  How the hell do people manage to do this?"

He switched his fidgeting from his feet to his hands, pulling at the material of his jacket and glove to hide his auto-mail.  A sudden realization hit him, along with a whole new wave of panic.

What if Hermione wanted to dance?  Did people _do_ that at parties here?  And what if she _did_ want to?  Hermione would have to touch his arm and she'd feel his auto-mail.  She would know the difference between flesh and metal right away!  Ed pushed the thought out of his mind immediately, shaking his head.  If worse came to worse, he'd run away.  It was that simple.

After a while of waiting, a small crowd of girls began to form near the doorway.  They were all staring at Ed and releasing overly dramatic, forlorn sighs.  Ed did his best to ignore them, but their collective sighs were so loud that they were getting on his nerves.  What was  _wrong_ with people?

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Edward."

At the sound of Hermione's voice, Ed instantly spun around to face her.  He had been planning on instantly grabbing her arm and dragging her away from the Great Hall and those crazy, sighing girls as quickly as possible, but as soon as he saw her, he froze.

She was wearing a faded green tube dress that had a slight frill at the top.  The dress clung tightly to her torso, emphasizing her slim figure.  The skirt fell down to her knees in many intricate folds.  She had flattened her hair slightly, so it was no longer a bushy, frizzy mane of chestnut brown but had turned into elegant curls and waves.  Over her shoulders she had self-consciously pulled on her black cloak, though it didn't hide her very well.  Ed instantly forgot all about escaping the amassed girls at the door, a faint blush coming to his cheeks.

"H-Hi..."  He caught himself before he was full out gawking at her and tried to force himself out of his daze.  "You, um... You look nice!"

Hermione shifted uncomfortably under his amazed stare.  "Well, Parvati helped me.  Erm... You look good, as well!  Very distinguished."

"Oh, um... Thanks!"  Ed's cheeks turned a shade redder as he looked away, embarrassed.  He knew she meant it as a compliment, but he'd never thought his usual black outfit was distinguishing.  Maybe he should have taken Zabini's advice and given more thought to his clothes.

At the same time, a round of disappointed sounds came from the girls at the door, making their (still unwanted) presence known to both teenagers.  Ed glanced over at them, making a face.

"Let's get out of here.  I don't think I can handle being around those girls any longer."

Hermione nodded, the look on her face saying that she felt the same way.  Ed took Hermione by the arm and led her away quickly, only slowing down the instant they turned the corner.  He paused and took some time to make sure they weren't followed, then released a relieved sigh and started walking to Slughorn's room with Hermione at his side.

"Shouldn't we be hurrying?" she asked him.  "I think we might be late."

Ed just stuffed his hands into his pockets and shrugged.  "I'm not really in any rush to get there."

The Gryffindor nodded her head slowly and was quiet.  After a few moments of walking, Ed glanced over at Hermione and groaned inwardly.  This whole thing was so…

Awkward.

Somewhere deep down, Ed knew that part of the awkwardness was because he couldn't help feeling like a wrench was going to soar through the air and smack him square in the face at any moment.  And as he thought about it further, he realized it was only going to get worse.  At some point, Ed knew he was going to have to ask Hermione what she could tell him about Malfoy.  He already knew that it was going to be an immensely awkward conversation and had no idea how to bring it up other than to just ask her directly.  Ed mentally slapped himself.  Some wonderful date he was turning out to be.

Hermione chose to break the silence first.  "So Edward-"

"Oh, uh, just 'Ed' is fine."

"Alright, then," she said, taking a breath.  "Ed.  How's your first term at Hogwarts been?"

Ed looked up at Hermione, realizing for the first time how much taller she was.  "It's... been good.  It just took some getting used to."

"It's a wonderful place, isn't it?  I imagine it's rather different from the academy in Germany."

There was a proud tone in her voice that Ed almost laughed at.  Was she trying to compare Hogwarts to a school that didn't exist?  Ed smirked, deciding to play along.

"Definitely," he told her with a slight laugh.  "Back there, the principal is an irresponsible bastard who's only interested in flirting and going out on dates with girls."

A scandalized look suddenly appeared on Hermione's face.  "What?"

"Yep!" Ed went on, enjoying himself.  "He only does his work when the vice principal fires a few shots near his head.  Other than that, I guess it's a pretty standard school.  The students mostly just do what they want.  I mean, we've all got independent study projects to work on, so it's no big deal."

Hermione looked stunned by the half-truths that Ed told her.  "Well, that sounds... interesting."

He just grinned broadly, pleased.  Ed suddenly realized how much he had missed Amestris, even if it was full of strange people that (for the most part) enjoyed annoying him.  He definitely missed the freedom that he had there, getting to wander around the countryside with Al and helping people on the way.

"It's not much, but... it's home."

A wistful smile appeared on Hermione's face.  "Well, Hogwarts has become like a second home to me," she said.  "It has to all of us, really.  We practically grew up in these halls.  Me, Harry, Ron..."

"And Draco."

The words flew out of his mouth before Ed could stop them.  Hermione turned to look at him, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Erm, well, yes."  Hermione bit down on her lip.  "Though we didn't really grow up _with_ him..."

"Well, you said that you've known him for six years..."

There was a short, awkward silence, and Ed was starting to regret his own bluntness.

"I can't say that I _really_ know him," Hermione said at last.  "He mostly just spends time insulting Harry and Ron."

Ed laughed slightly.  "I noticed that."

She drew in a deep breath and took on a thoughtful look.  "He's... Well, he's an insufferable git.  He just likes provoking Harry and Ron, and it's ridiculous how they give in to it repeatedly."

The blonde raised an eyebrow.  "Really?"

"Well, yes... I suppose so.  I don't know what he expects to gain from it, though."

He couldn't stop himself from snorting.   _'Maybe it's because he's a spoiled elitist bastard that has nothing better to do.'_

"I always try to stop it, and I don't even know where I get the incentive," she went on thoughtfully.  "Though perhaps it's because I want to believe that it's just a mask he puts on."

Ed cupped his chin in his hand, his gaze lowering thoughtfully to the floor.  "A mask, huh?  Interesting... but what would he be hiding...?"

"Oh, Ed, I don't know," Hermione said with a sigh.  He looked up in surprise, not realizing that he had spoken out loud.  "Maybe I'm just being silly.  Making Malfoy seem like some misunderstood person.  He's always been so horrible to me, yet this year..."  She looked thoughtful.  "It's different.  He hardly ever talks to me directly, but when he looks at me... it's a strange feeling.  Like it's some other person looking at me, not the cruel, loathsome, foul person that he is."

"He does space out a lot, come to think of it," Ed murmured.  "I sorta just figured that that's how he is, but...  Cruel, loathsome, and foul, huh?  Does that have anything to do with all that shit about mud and blood?  What _is_ that?"

"Oh.  That."  Hermione sighed again, exasperated.  "You haven't heard of that term?  Germany must have a different word for it then."

A nervous smile passed over Ed's lips.  "G-Germany.  Right."

"Mudblood's a really foul name for someone of non-magic heritage.  Like me."  She took a deep breath, shaking her head slowly.  "Malfoy thinks he's above everyone because he's what people call 'pureblood.'  It's utter nonsense, I know, and I used to... get really upset when he called me that.  If there is one person I'd hate most in the world, that would be him."

"Just for that?"  Ed shook his head in disapproval.  "Man... I really don't get the customs around here...  But it's just a word.  It doesn't actually _mean_ anything, Hermione."

"Perhaps," she said with a nod.  "But... either way, I can't blame him, with the kind of environment he grew up in."

"Yeah," Ed snorted, as he thought of the screaming house-elf in Malfoy Manor.  "Everyone back at that house was insane."

"Insane?" Hermione echoed, a note of surprise in her voice.  "Well, I can certainly think of a few more words to describe his father."

Ed raised his eyebrows.  "His father?  Lucius Malfoy?"

She just nodded, pressing her lips into a tight line.

"What about him?"

"He's a horrible man," she said, practically spitting the words out in disgust, "and I thought Malfoy was going to turn up just like him.  I was just a child then, and everything seemed black and white to me.  But now, I can't help feeling that Malfoy has reason to act like that.  I mean it doesn't justify his calling me that awful name all these years...  However, I don't feel he really means it anymore.  I'm not as affected as I had been before.  It's absurd, but I want to think that it's not his fault, that somewhere deep down, he's a different person.  I can never be sure though, he can be such a mystery sometimes..."

"Wow," Ed murmured, nodding his head.  "I never thought of it that way... I guess the aristocracy really does run deep."

Hermione let out a small, nervous laugh, shaking her head.  "Oh, Ed, I'm sorry.  I'm getting carried away.  I must sound ridiculous..."

"Not a problem," Ed smiled, waving a hand dismissively.  "It's interesting, actually.  Really interesting..."

The last words came out sounding more shrewd than he intended and Hermione gave him a strange look.  "Why do you even want to know all this?"

He shrugged his shoulders casually, ignoring it.  "Just out of curiosity.  He doesn't talk to me much."  

Which was true.  

Hermione laughed a little, tucking back some loose hair. "Honestly, it's a wonder you're even friends with him."

Ed had to resist the urge to roll his eyes in agreement.  "Yeah, I know.  Well, anyway... It looks like we're here."

They had finally reached the entrance to Slughorn's room.  The door stood partially open, allowing the jovial sounds of celebration and loud music to filter into the outside corridors.  Hermione and Ed just stood outside for a while as though they were considering whether or not they should enter, then finally stepped inside to join the party.

 


	14. Of Dates and Parties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How to Show a Girl a Good Time: Go Investigate Something On Your Own

 

For a long moment Ed just stood in the doorway, gaping at the set up before him.  Ed wasn't sure if it had been built that way or if it was because of some magic spell, but Slughorn's office was much larger than one would expect of a teacher's study.  His gold eyes darted from the colorful hangings (the place vaguely resembled a vast tent because of them) to the ornate golden lamps (he wasn't sure, but it seemed like there were fairies inside of them) to the house elves (that looked like little roving tables because of the platters of food over their heads).  The room was crowded and stuffy and completely bathed in the red lamplight.  Everyone was bunched in groups, making idle conversation about everything, from current events to school subjects.  Some of the older guests had pipes dangling from the corners of their mouths as they talked to one another, creating small clouds of pipe smoke over them.

Hermione looked at Ed curiously, confused by the amazed expression on his face.  "Are you all right, Edward?"

Ed quickly recovered from the shock with a shake of his head.  "Yeah, I'm fine."

They then stepped further into the room and negotiated their way through the crowd, searching for someplace to sit.  Ed took care to dodge the professors at all costs, just in case they wanted to have a word with him.  For the first time in quite a while, Ed was glad he wasn't famous in this part of the world.  To an extent, he missed being able to introduce himself as the Fullmetal Alchemist and have people go completely nuts over his fame.  Right at that moment, however, he was happy being invisible amongst the wizards.

"Oi!  Elric!"

But Ed wasn't quite as invisible as he thought.  He couldn't stop himself from flinching at the familiar voice.  The last thing he needed was for Zabini to come in and bother him.  He was starting to remind Ed of Hughes - just without the photos.  Ed tried to pretend he hadn't heard Zabini's voice and tugged on Hermione's arm to pull her away, but she had also been stopped and was now talking about something with Harry.  He cursed his bad luck as Zabini casually slung an arm around his shoulders.

"How's the date going?"

"Just started," he grumbled, shoving Zabini's arm away.  He looked over at the brunette girl standing next to Zabini and raised an eyebrow at her disheveled hair.  "How's _your_ date going?"

Zabini just smiled, a playful gleam in his eye.  Ed rolled his eyes, getting the message.  "Wasn't she blonde?"

"Blonde?" he echoed innocently.  "Did I say that?"  A mischievous smile danced on Zabini's lips.  Ed shook his head disapprovingly.  "So... where _is_ Granger?  You two get separated from each other or something?  Must be hard being so little among all these giants..."

A vein popped out on Ed's head.  "WHO DID YOU CALL MINIATURE SIZE?!"

Before Zabini could walk away with a hearty laugh, Hermione suddenly turned to Edward with an outraged look on her face.

"Quidditch!" she was yelling.  "Edward, is Quidditch all that boys care about?"

Ed blinked, completely bewildered.  "Um... no?"

" _Thank_ you!" she said, throwing her hands up into the air.  "Honestly, Harry and-" Hermione stopped short when she noticed Zabini looking at her.  "Oh... Hi Blaise."

Zabini raised his eyebrows in surprise.  Eventually the surprise gave way to a suave smile.  "Hel _lo_ there.  I don't believe we've met.  You are...?"

It was Hermione's turn to look bewildered as she stared at the hand Zabini had extended toward her.  She looked over at Ed for help, only getting more confused as the alchemist suddenly burst into laughter.

"You don't recognize her?" Ed managed to say.

"I think I would remember such a beautiful face," Zabini told Ed, keeping his cool.  The brunette girl next to him smacked his arm in annoyance.

"Blaise," Hermione said, still very much confused.  "It's _me_."

This didn't help much as Zabini was also still confused.  Ed's grin was growing broader by the second.  He was really starting to enjoy himself.  This party was turning out to be a lot more fun than he had expected it to.

"Alright, then!  Blaise Zabini?  Let me introduce you to Hermione Granger."

As the words registered in his mind, Zabini's calm expression melted away.  His eyes grew wide as he looked Hermione up and down, his jaw dropping visibly.

" _Granger_?" he repeated in shock.

Ed threw his head back and started laughing again.  Hermione blushed in spite of herself, self-consciously pulling her black cloak around her.

"Do I look _that_ different to you?" she asked him incredulously.

"Yes!" Zabini blurted out.  Hermione looked somewhat offended.  "But in a _good_ way!  Wow, Granger!  I mean... Just _look_ at you!"

"Erm... Thank you."  She was still _very_ confused.

"Nice going, Elric!" Zabini told Ed as soon as he had calmed down enough.  "She got a friend I could have?"

Before Ed could say anything in response, the now very irritated brunette girl at his side pulled at his arm and hurriedly dragged him away.  Zabini grinned proudly at Ed as both he and his date vanished amidst the throng of people.  Ed then took a deep, calming breath and folded his arms over his chest, still grinning cheerily.

"Man, I honestly thought I'd never really like Zabini, but I think I just had a change of heart."

"What?"  Hermione looked incredulously at Ed.  "But he was making a fool of himself!"

"Exactly," Ed said with a firm nod of his head.  "You didn't find that funny?"

Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Was that Zabini just now?  Oh, hi Ed!"

Both Ed and Hermione turned around to face Harry, who was looking at them as though he was very desperate to separate himself from whoever was talking to him.

"Hey Harry," Ed greeted him, smiling.

"Is everything all right?" Hermione asked.  She glanced meaningfully at the people behind him.  "I mean..."

"Well..."

He pushed his glasses up his nose nervously, refusing to look back over his shoulder.  Ed looked around Harry and noticed that several teachers had crowded nearby; Slughorn, Snape, and a lady with huge glasses that made her look like an insect.  Slughorn seemed to be bragging about Harry's skill at potions to Snape, who was staring at Harry with a sneer on his face.

"Actually..."

"Remind me what other subjects you're taking, Harry?" Slughorn asked, sounding much too cheerful than he probably should have been.

Harry flinched slightly and made a face as he turned around to face the professors.  Ed pulled a face as well, understanding the boy's situation perfectly.  Hermione gave his shoulder an encouraging squeeze, offering him a sympathetic smile.

"Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology..."

"All the subjects, in short, for an Auror," Snape sneered.

"Yeah, well, that's what I'd like to do," said Harry defiantly, narrowing his eyes.

"And a great one you'll make too!" boomed Slughorn.

The look on Professor Snape's face grew even sourer as the two faced off.  After a moment, Harry turned away, raising a goblet to his lips and taking a sip of his drink.  Snape turned away as well, his dark eyes sweeping over the room as though searching for an excuse to leave the party.  Ed kept switching his confused gaze between Harry and Snape, not quite sure what was going on.  His eyebrows came together in confusion and he drew closer to Hermione.

"Uh... what's an auror?"

An expression of mild confusion flickered on Hermione's face as she looked at Ed.  "Aurors are a group of witches and wizards who battle the Dark Arts," she explained quickly.  "They've brought many of the Dark Lord's supporters to justice."

Edward nodded slowly.  "So they're like... a military operation?"

Hermione looked thoughtful.  "Well... in some ways, I suppose they're similar.  I can't really say for sure, though."

She bit down on her lip, uncomfortably shifting her weight from one leg to the other.  Ed didn't ask any more and lowered his gaze to the floor, stuffing his hands into his pockets.  Though he himself was a member of the military, he wasn't sure he wanted anyone else his age to take up such dangerous work.

"I don't think you should be an Auror, Harry," said a blonde girl in silver robes that Ed hadn't noticed.  Everyone turned to look at her.  "The Aurors are part of the Rotfang Conspiracy," she told them matter-of-factly.  "I thought everyone knew that.  They're working to bring down the Ministry of Magic from within using a combination of Dark Magic and gum disease."

Harry practically inhaled half of his drink in laughter.  Hermione gasped in shock and patted his back soothingly as he emerged, coughing and wet, from his goblet.  The blonde girl that spoke looked at Harry in confusion, as did the teachers.  Ed just smiled, rather amused by the girl's blunt accusation.  And, judging by the boyish grin on his wet face, Harry was too.

"Oh, sorry Ed, I should introduce you," he said, regaining his composure.  Still grinning, he gestured to the blonde girl.  "This is Luna Lovegood.  Luna, this is Edward Elric."

Luna turned her dreamy, distant gaze on Ed.  She smiled in his direction and bowed her head slightly.  Ed wasn't sure whether or not he should do the same, but still smiled back.

"Uh, hi!  Nice to meet you."

"You have golden eyes," she said abruptly.

Ed blinked.  "Um... yeah, I do."

She was silent for a moment, staring at him as though she could see beyond him.  "They're very pretty.  Sometimes I wish my eyes were golden."

"Oh."  He struggled to think of a way to respond.  "That's... nice."

"Mr. Elric!"

Everyone turned at the sound of Slughorn's voice.  The professor hiccupped, tipping his goblet in Ed's direction as the smile on his face continued to grow.

"I've never had the opportunity to ask you about yourself, even Dumbledore wouldn't say much apart from compliment your smarts."

Ed flinched involuntarily.  This wasn't good.  This situation was exactly why he'd hoped to avoid contact with any professors at the party, and the man was obviously drunk on top of it all.

"Y'don't mind my asking, I hope.  Care to tell us a little more about yourself, Mr. Elric?"

Suddenly, all eyes were on him.  Ed shifted his weight anxiously from one leg to the other as he tried to figure out what to say.  "Well, uh..."

Just then, a gangly looking man that Ed recognized as the school caretaker entered the room and quickly made his way toward Professor Slughorn.  As he came closer, Ed noticed that he had Draco Malfoy in tow, dragging him across the crowded room by the ear.  He drew in a sharp breath at the sight of him, his eyebrows coming together.  What the hell was he doing there?

"Professor Slughorn," the caretaker wheezed, his jowls aquiver and the maniacal light of mischief-detection in his bulging eyes, "I discovered this boy lurking in an upstairs corridor.  He claims to have been invited to your party and to have been delayed in setting out.  Did you issue him an invitation?"

Draco's silver eyes passed over everyone's faces, flashing angrily when he saw Ed and Hermione.  Before anyone could say anything, he quickly pulled himself free of the caretaker's grip, looking furious.

"All right, I wasn't invited!" he said angrily.  "I was trying to gate-crash, happy?"

"No, I'm not!" the gangly man retorted, despite the glee on his face.

Ed rolled his eyes.   _'If that's not happiness, then Hughes hates his family.'_

"You're in trouble, you are!" the caretaker went on.  "Didn't the headmaster say that nighttime prowling's out, unless you've got permission, didn't he, eh?"

"That's all right, Argus, that's all right," said Slughorn, waving a hand.  "It's Christmas, and it's not a crime to want to come to a party.  Just this once, we'll forget any punishment; You may stay, Draco."

Malfoy turned away, an unhappy, somewhat disappointed look on his face.  Ed frowned slightly, annoyed.  _Upstairs_?  What the hell could he have been doing wandering around upstairs?

Only then did Ed notice the expression on Professor Snape's face.  He was looking at Draco as though he was both angry and afraid, which was a very strange combination (especially on _his_ face).  The creepy caretaker frowned, obviously disappointed that he didn't get to issue any punishment to the Slytherin and immediately shuffled away, muttering under his breath.  Ed watched him, more than a little relieved to see the creep leave.

"Thank you, sir," said Draco, though it was hard to tell whether or not he really was grateful.  "That's very generous of you."

As Ed turned his attention back to the conversation at hand, he noticed that Draco had quickly masked his disappointment and spoke to the professor amicably, as expected of someone with his lineage.  Snape also returned to normal, his expression once again unreadable.

"It's nothing, nothing," said Slughorn, waving away his thanks.  "I did know your grandfather, after all..."

"He always spoke very highly of you, sir," said Malfoy quickly.  "Said you were the best potion-maker he'd ever known..."

Ed rolled his eyes.  He'd seen brown-nosing tactics of every kind before and knew well enough to expect such a thing of Draco.  He turned to look at Hermione and Harry.  Both wizard and witch were staring at Draco, though it was obviously not because his sucking up was particularly impressive.  They both looked somewhat concerned, even a little bit nervous.

"I'd like a word with you, Draco," said Snape suddenly.

Both Ed and Harry looked surprised, their eyes growing a little bit wider.  Draco shot Snape a slightly irritated look, but the professor's face remained unchanging.  Slughorn hiccupped as he turned to face him, taking a sip of whatever wizard booze he was obviously drinking.

"Oh, now, Severus," he said between hiccups, "it's Christmas, don't be too hard-"

"I'm his Head of House, and I shall decide how hard, or otherwise, to be," said Snape curtly.  He then turned back to the white-blonde before him.  "Follow me, Draco."

With that, Snape led a resentful looking Malfoy away, resolutely pushing through the crowd and leaving the room.  For a long moment, Ed just looked off in the direction they had left, his suspicions rising even further.  It was clear that the something Draco had been up to somehow involved Snape.  A professor.  And not just _any_ professor; one that had deep knowledge of the Dark Arts.  Ed narrowed his eyes.  He had to know what Draco was planning.  It was his business to know.

"Luna, Hermione?  I'll be back in a bit," Ed heard Harry say.

He glanced offhandedly in Harry's direction.  The young wizard was slowly inching away from his friends and the other professors.  Both girls turned to face him and he smiled somewhat nervously upon seeing their curious expressions.

"Er... Bathroom," he added quickly.

Luna smiled cheerfully at him.  "All right," she said, then turned to the professors and continued to talk about her so-called Rotfang Conspiracy.

As Harry hurried off into the crowd, Hermione looked after him as though she wanted to follow him, but eventually changed her mind.  She shook her head slowly, taking a deep breath.  There was a pained, annoyed expression on her face like she had been through this routine a thousand times before and was fed up with it.

"I can't believe he still thinks..." She sighed again, exasperated.  "Honestly.  I get so sick of his curiosity sometimes."

"Really?" Ed's eyebrows arched upward in surprise.  "Why, what does he do?"

Hermione glanced at Ed, an apprehensive glimmer in her eyes.  She quickly turned away, shaking her head.  "He just tends to get into trouble rather often, that's all."

Ed decided against pressing the matter.  He recognized the expression on her face easily.  It was, after all, the same one that Major Armstrong would get when keeping himself from talking about something that was top secret.  Granted, Ed wanted to know what Hermione meant, but there was no way she was just going to casually tell him.  Besides, Harry Potter was not his concern.  He stole a quick glance in the direction of the door, drawing in an even breath.

"Listen," he started, leaning toward Hermione so she could hear him, "I'll be right back, okay?  I just saw somebody I've been meaning to talk to."

She looked back at him, confused, then her eyes began to drift over the crowd.  "Who?"

He turned around and pretended to purposefully search the crowd, then feigned annoyance upon "losing" his target.  "Damn.  I've gotta go find him, Hermione.  I'll be right back."

Hermione furrowed her eyebrows slightly, not able to find the made-up someone that Ed was talking about.  "Erm... All right.  I'll just be waiting here with Luna."

Ed nodded and flashed an apologetic smile before pushing his way through the crowd, cleverly weaving his way amongst the people so that it really looked like he was searching for someone.  He then slipped out the door, releasing a relieved breath as he emerged in the empty corridor.  Pleased to have made a clean escape, Ed grinned to himself as he headed further down the hall.

There were doors lining the entire corridor, all leading to various empty classrooms or offices.  Ed crept quietly down the line, grateful that the party's loud music drowned out the sound of his unevenly weighted footsteps.  He stayed close to the doors so that he would be able to hear any voices on the other side of them.  And as he reached the last door in the corridor, something strange happened.

He tripped.

He didn't just trip over his own feet, but he stumbled over a large something that had apparently been obstructing his way.  Ed tumbled onto the floor, involuntarily making a small yelp of surprise as he did so.  As he struggled to sit back up, he was suddenly grabbed by a pair of hands that had literally appeared out of nowhere and pulled under some sort of cloth.  Ed almost yelled out, but the hands were set firmly over his mouth to prevent him from speaking.

"Shh," said a quiet, urgent sounding voice.  "D'you want them to catch us?"

Ed blinked as he realized who it was.  The hands slowly withdrew.  "Harry?" he whispered.

Harry gestured for Ed to remain silent and nodded toward the door.  There was a confused look behind his round glasses, like he didn't understand what Ed was doing in the corridor, but he said nothing as he resumed what he was doing.

It took a few moments for Ed to understand that they were underneath some sort of cloak that apparently made them invisible to the rest of the world.  He vaguely recognized it from that first day on the train.  Another strange magical item that he didn't understand.  Though Ed had to admit that it was very useful as he drew closer to the door, straining his ears to catch the conversation that was going on beyond it.

"...conceal from your master, Draco?"

"I'm not trying to conceal anything from _him_ , I just don't want _you_ butting in!"

"So is that why you've been avoiding me this term?  You have feared my interference?  You realize that, had anybody else failed to come to my office when I had told them repeatedly to be there, Draco-"

"So put me in detention!  Report me to Dumbledore!" jeered Malfoy.

There was another pause.  "You know perfectly well that I do not wish to do either of these things."

"You'd better stop telling me to come to your office then!"

"Listen to me," said Snape, his voice barely audible.  "I am trying to help you.  I swore to your mother I would protect you.  I made the Unbreakable Vow, Draco-"

"Looks like you'll have to break it, then, because I don't need your protection!"

Harry and Ed looked at one another, equally confused looks on their faces as they mouthed "unbreakable vow," the term being completely alien to them both.  Harry then took on a thoughtful expression while Ed shrugged it off, turning intently back to listening to their conversation.

"It's my job, he gave it to me and I'm doing it, I've got a plan and it's going to work, it's just taking a bit longer than I thought it would!"

Ed narrowed his eyes, even as a slight, triumphant smirk crossed his features.  That confirmed the very suspicion that he'd had since day one.  A job had been given to Draco, and with the way he worked himself to the bone on it, he couldn't mean anyone other than that Voldemort character.  Though he wasn't sure whether or not it meant Draco was a fanatic devoted to the cause.

"What is your plan?"

The professor had practically stolen the words right out of Ed's mind.

"It's none of your business!"

Ed's face fell.   _'Damn.'_

"If you tell me what you are trying to do, I can assist you-"

"I've got all the assistance I need, thanks, I'm not alone!"

"You were certainly alone tonight, which was foolish in the extreme, wandering the corridors without lookouts or backup, these are elementary mistakes-"

"I would've had Crabbe and Goyle with me if you hadn't put them in detention!"

So that was it.  That was what they were supposed to do with him that night.  Ed mentally cursed his luck.  For whatever reason, Draco really trusted those two idiots, and if Edward wanted to make any progress, he’d have to prove himself just as trustworthy.  Easier said than done.  They had literally agreed on maybe three things since the moment they’d met.

"Keep your voice down!" spat Snape, for Draco's voice had risen excitedly.  "If your friends Crabbe and Goyle intend to pass their DADA O.W.L. this time around, they will need to work a little harder than they are doing at pres-"

"What does it matter?" said Malfoy.  "DADA - it's all just a joke, isn't it, an act?  Like any of us need protecting against the Dark Arts-"

"It is an act that is crucial to success, Draco!  Where do you think I would've been all these years, if I had not known how to act?"

Ed wanted to leap up and yell victoriously.  He knew from the beginning that this Snape character was a prime suspect!  This entire conversation was validating everything for him, and if they could just keep up that line of conversation a little longer he'd know exactly where to find the hard, physical evidence necessary to put this whole mission to a close.

"Now listen to me!  You are being incautious, wandering around at night, getting yourself caught, and if you are placing your reliance in assistants like Crabbe and Goyle-"

"They're not the only ones, I've got other people on my side, better people!"

"Then why not confide in me, and I can-"

"I know what you're up to!  You want to steal my glory!"

Another pause.  Then coldly, "You are speaking like a child.  I quite understand that your father's capture and imprisonment has upset you, but-"

Suddenly there was the sound of footsteps, growing louder and louder... The realization hit both Harry and Ed practically at the same time and they scrambled away from the door, Harry taking care that no part of them was exposed from under the cloak.  The door suddenly flew open and Draco stormed out of the room.  Both boys watched as Malfoy strode down the corridor, passing the open door of Slughorn's room and out of sight.  Professor Snape slowly emerged a few moments later, an unfathomable look on his face as he returned to the party.

Once everything was quiet again, Harry and Ed quietly got to their feet, removing the cloak.  As Harry started to put it away, Ed found himself staring at the cloak, both fascinated and frustrated by its magical properties.

"I have _got_ to get one of those," he said, mostly to himself.

Harry smiled nervously.  "It _is_ rather useful..."

"No kidding!" Ed grinned.  "If I had one of those..."  He trailed off, his gold eyes taking on a mischievous glaze as he thought of all the tricks that cloak could make possible.

"What do you reckon that was all about?"

Ed's smile faded slightly as he glanced back at Harry.  "You mean Snape and Draco?"  He snorted.  "Geez, damned if I know."

Harry seemed confused.  "Aren't you guys close or something?  I thought you would have at least some kind of idea what's going on."

He hesitated before answering.  "Well... I wouldn't say we're _close_..."

"I think it's right to assume you wouldn't know what an 'unbreakable vow' is, right?"

"Not a clue."  Ed looked at Harry.  "You?"

The wizard shook his head.  "Never heard of it.  Maybe I should ask Hermione."

Ed just nodded thoughtfully.  He would have to ask someone as well.  Hermione was no longer an option; it would be strange if they both asked her the same question.  The headmaster was a likely candidate.  He would no doubt know the answer as well.  Then again, Ed could always find out himself; it had to be in a book somewhere.  Still, whatever magical promise Snape had made didn't sound like it had very much to do with Draco's job, or with his plan to get said job done.  He'd be better off putting it out of his mind for the time being.

"We should head back, Ed," said Harry, glancing anxiously down the hall.  "Wouldn't want Filch to catch us in the corridors."

"Huh?  Oh... yeah.  Right."

They then hurried back to Slughorn's room to rejoin the party.  Ed's pace had slowed down significantly as he found himself lost in his own thoughts.  As soon as Harry reached the entrance to the party, someone yelled out his name and he was pulled back into the party, swallowed by the thick crowd of guests.  Ed half-smiled, still mostly distracted.  There were so many questions burning in his mind all of a sudden, and only one person could answer them.

He hurried down the hall, hoping to catch up with Draco before he got to the Slytherin common room.  Ed found him trudging slowly down the hall on the second floor, right outside of what looked like a bathroom.  He hesitated when he saw him, wondering briefly whether or not this was a good idea, but quickly pushed the doubt aside and hurried to join him.  He needed more evidence.  Since things had ended abruptly between Draco and Snape, it now fell to Ed to pry more out of him.  He needed to push in just the right ways...

_Be friendly.  Be friendly!_

"Hey, Malfoy!  Wait up!"

But Draco didn't stop walking.  He just looked back over his shoulder at the sound of Ed's voice and glared at him.  "What is it with you and appearing suddenly all over the place?  What the hell are you doing here?"

He was still too far away for Draco to notice Ed narrowing his eyes at him.  Ed then took in a deep, calming breath, forcing himself to be friendly.  Cheekily reminding him that he had actually been _invited_ to Slughorn’s party was not likely to help his mood.

"I just wanted to know what Snape wanted with you, that's all."

As Ed finally caught up with him, Malfoy stopped walking and turned to face Ed.  "Well, it's none of your damn business!" he yelled into Ed's face, his silver eyes aflame with hatred.

The Slytherin then resumed walking, this time faster and with longer strides.  Ed just persisted, increasing his pace to keep up.

"Sheesh, you don't have to get all worked up over it.  I just thought-"

Suddenly, Draco spun around and grabbed Ed by his shoulders, cutting him off before he could finish speaking.  For a moment Ed was panic stricken about his auto-mail, but Draco was clearly too furious to notice anything strange.

" _Why_ , Elric?!   _WHY_ DID YOU HAVE TO ASK _GRANGER_ TO THE BLOODY PARTY?!"

He then shoved Ed away from him roughly and turned to face a wall, running his hands over his hair in frustration.  Ed's eyebrows came together in annoyance.  Was Draco putting blame on him for no apparent reason?  He balled his hands into fists.  Here he was, trying to be friendly to the guy for once (nevermind that he had ulterior motives for it), only to get yelled at for nothing.

"What're you even talking abou-"

"Why did you have to ask _the one person_ I despise _most_ in the world?!" he shouted, cutting him off again.

"Hey, _listen_!  I-"

"You really don't get it, do you?  When I said 'keep your hands off her,' I meant it!  You don't deserve her!  You just..."

Draco floundered for a moment as he abruptly stopped himself mid-sentence.  Ed narrowed his eyes angrily, folding his arms indignantly over his chest.

"I just what?" he challenged.

The Slytherin gritted his teeth together as he turned away.  "I saw you waiting for her," he continued loudly, switching gears, "and when she came down looking so... so bloody _gorgeous_ \- and knowing she did that just for _you_ \- IT WAS EATING ME UP INSIDE!"  He ruffled up his white-blonde hair, growling angrily.  "I... I _hate_ Hermione Granger!  I absolutely can't _stand_ her!  And what makes me hate her even _more_ is... _Merlin_ , SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE HELL SHE _DOES_ TO ME!"

An oddly victorious feeling began to swell up in Ed's chest.  He knew from the beginning that asking Hermione would get something out of Draco.  But at the same time, he was completely taken aback by the outburst.  He hadn't been expecting anything quite like this.  He wanted to speak, to just _say_ something, but couldn't think of a single sensible thing.  And even if he could, Draco was on such a heated rant that Ed wouldn't have been able to get in a word.

"Every time I feel her nearby, I can't act naturally!  Every time she looks at me with pure hatred, I... I'M IN BLOODY AGONY!  I CAN'T BREATHE!  Every night, sleep refuses to overtake me because _she's there_ , constantly plaguing my thoughts!  EVERY SECOND OF EVERY SINGLE DAY!  Bloody hell, _I can't stop thinking about her_ !"  He turned back on Ed, jabbing his finger accusingly into his chest.  "And that is _why,_  Elric, you have no _bloody_ idea what you've gotten yourself into!"

Draco then pushed Ed back again and turned around, falling silent.  Some small part of Ed wanted to smile knowingly, but he was just too shocked.  He almost felt sorry for him.  He lowered his gaze to the floor, taking a deep breath.

"I didn't..."

Before he could finish, Malfoy cut him off once again, but this time his voice was painfully soft and dangerously low.  Still with his back turned, he said, "Go back to the party, Elric.  I'm assuming Zabini's too far gone, but Granger would be waiting for you.  It'd be rude to just leave her.  Walk her back to Gryffindor Tower, Elric.  It's the least you could do."

Then Draco walked off, disappearing into the darkness down the corridor and leaving Ed behind in amazed silence.  He really did feel bad.  He hadn't realized how strongly Draco felt about Hermione.

 

"Ed!" he heard Harry shout brightly.  "Where've you been?"

The young alchemist squeezed his eyes shut.  He had to put on a good front for the Gryffindors.  He then raised his head, plastering a cheerful, carefree smile on his face as he rejoined Harry and the others.

"I just got a little held up," he said.

Harry raised an eyebrow, raising a goblet to his lips.  "Held up with what?  Last time I looked, you were right behind me on our way back here."

Ed just shrugged casually, rolling his eyes as though it was a boring story he didn't care to tell, but Harry didn't look swayed.  He ignored the inquisitive look in Harry's eyes and looked around.  The girls were off to the side, talking about something amongst themselves.  It seemed like Slughorn and the professor with the glasses had long since wandered off, much to Harry's evident relief.  Ed then quickly surveyed the room as best as he could (since he couldn't exactly see over everyone's heads), his brow furrowed.

"Where'd Snape go?"

"I'm not sure," Harry replied.  "I reckon he's around here somewhere, but I haven't seen him since..."

He looked meaningfully at Ed who just nodded, too preoccupied with what he had just learned from Draco's outburst to muster any other response.  Ed had never seen him so angry, and to be perfectly honest, it was somewhat frightening.  It was almost as though all of his barriers and shields had crumbled apart and gave way to a few moments of sheer honesty.  A whole new side of him had suddenly shone through, completely out of the blue.  It was... confusing, to say the least.

If Edward thought he understood what the situation in the wizarding world was like before, he had just been proven wrong.  There was something beyond what he could see... A truth behind all truths... Suddenly Ed found himself decoding another complex message.  Draco's outburst had been the first step to understanding what was _really_ going on, not just in terms of the situation with Voldemort, but hell, maybe with the entire societal structure of the wizarding world.

Ed shut his eyes and released a heavy, exhausted sigh.  This whole thing was getting more and more complicated.  Why did he always end up in the most complicated situations imaginable?

"So exactly where were you?"

Harry again.  Some part of Ed's brain vaguely registered that Harry had been pestering him for the past few minutes, but he hadn't noticed at all.  He looked into Harry's face, blinking innocently.

"I was just out on the balcony."

It was clear by the skeptical look on his face that Harry still wasn't convinced.  "Out on the balcony?  For a good half hour?  At _this_ hour?"

Ed shifted his weight uncomfortably.  "Um... Yeah... Just needed some fresh air, with all the pipe smoke in here..."

He then quickly wormed away from Harry before he could ask him any more questions and approached Hermione, who was talking animatedly with Luna about the differences between Arithmancy and Divination.  Ed had to smile slightly at the topic as he laid one hand carefully on Hermione's shoulder.  The brunette spun around to look at him and smiled.

"Oh, you're back!  Did you get to talk to that person you were looking for?  How did it go?"

His smile grew slightly, though it was somewhat wistful.  "I got a lot more than I bargained for, to be honest."  Ed then sighed again, ignoring the confused look on Hermione's face.  "Do you wanna head back?  I'm kinda tired."

Hermione let out a relieved breath.  "You've just read my mind," she said.

She then quickly said goodbye to Luna and told Harry that she'd see him later as they made their way out of the party.  Ed could see that Harry looked like he was still itching to ask him more questions, but their rather hurried departure kept him at bay.

"I'll walk you back to Gryffindor Tower," Ed said, remembering what Malfoy had told him.  His mind was still wrapped around some of the things that he said, searching for some sort of clue or hidden meaning, trying to find out what was really going on in his mind.

Hermione looked surprised.  "Oh!  No, you don't have to do that."

"Hey, it's the least I can do," he told her, half-smiling.

Touched by the offer, Hermione smiled back at him and nodded her head in acceptance.  From then on they walked down the corridors in silence, Ed still lost in his thoughts.  Hermione didn't seem to mind the silence very much, though she did cast a few curious glances in his direction.  He caught one of them once and just smiled back, unable to think of anything to say to her.

Then suddenly, his thoughts turned to what Hermione had told him on their way to the party.  All the things that she said about how Draco seemed like a different person all of a sudden, about his horrible father... Lucius Malfoy, a Death Eater, a servant of Voldemort, who had just recently been captured.  And then Draco mentioned a job that had been assigned to him by his "master"... Something was wrong.  He _knew_ it.  He just didn’t know what, or how to fix it, or what it _meant._

Dammit, everything was always given to him in code.

They stopped as they reached the portrait leading into the tower.  Ed snapped out of his thoughtful reverie, giving the fat lady in the portrait a strange look which she returned in full force.

"Well, we're here."

"Thanks, Edward," Hermione said.  "You really didn't have to walk me all the way here."

Ed rubbed the back of his neck.  "Well, I feel kinda bad for not getting to be around you as much as I probably should've been tonight, so..."

The Gryffindor just smiled.  "That's all right.  I had fun!  Believe me, it was _far_ more bearable to have gone with you.  At least you didn't talk about Quidditch!"

They both laughed softly at that, only to have it stop abruptly when Hermione gave Ed a friendly kiss on the cheek.  Practically his entire head immediately flushed red and he froze, his gold eyes wide in surprise.  Hermione smiled warmly and moved toward the portrait to say the password, which Ed was too stunned to hear.

She kissed him.  Sure it was on the cheek, but... when was the last time something like this happened to him?

"Goodnight," Hermione said, still smiling.

Not since his mother... but did she even count?

"Edward, are you alright?"

He jumped slightly in place, finally snapping out of his shocked paralysis, his face still red.  "Oh!  Yeah!  G-Goodnight!"

Hermione looked a little puzzled, but still smiled as she turned to enter the portrait hole.  As he watched her, Ed was suddenly struck with a realization.

"By the way... Hermione..."

The girl stopped at the portal and looked back at Ed.  "Mm hmm?"

His mind had been churning over everything that had happened that night.  He learned a lot about Draco - more than he had even hoped for.  He saw a completely different side of Draco, one that probably wouldn't have existed if it weren't for the girl that was standing just a few feet away.  She tucked some loose hair behind her ear, looking at Ed inquisitively.  Ed smiled at her.

"You know, for someone who claims not to know him very well, you seem to understand Draco perfectly."

She looked surprised to hear mention of Draco again, her eyes growing wide as she absorbed Ed's words.  Then she lowered her gaze thoughtfully and said, "I hope you're right."

Hermione then entered the portrait hole and the painting of the fat lady swung shut behind her.  Ed turned around and started the trek back to the Slytherin common room.  He stuffed his hands into his pockets and drew in a long, deep breath.  The situation had just gotten even more complicated and difficult than he thought it would.  He wasn't so sure he wanted to be involved in it anymore.


	15. Winter Break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coming home for the holidays.

 

_Dear Brother,_

_If I timed this correctly, you had your date with Hermione Granger last night, right?  I hope it went well and that you didn't do anything rude to her.  But do you like her, Brother?  Will I ever get to meet her?  I think I have a right to, especially since you never seem to know what's good for you.  Don't worry, I haven't told Winry or anything.  Ha ha!_

_All joking aside, I do want to hear about what happened at the Christmas Party.  I'm sorry for teasing you about her so much.  I guess you could say that I've been excited for you ever since you told me about it.  We don't get to spend a whole lot of time with other teenagers since we're always traveling and are so busy all the time.  So I hope you're enjoying yourself over there!_

_I've been trying to convince Lt. Hawkeye to let me go visit you and I think I've almost won her over.  She said that according to the calendar she has, you should be starting vacation soon.  Is that true, Brother?  If it is, hopefully I'll get to go see you!  I'll let you know as soon as I'm sure.  I want to know more about the magic you've been learning.  It sounds so interesting!_

_Oh, and I know that you've been asked this a lot already, but... any word from the colonel?  I know you don't care, but Lt. Hawkeye seems really worried about him._

_Well then, I hope to see you soon, Brother!  And when it happens, let me know how your second date with Hermione goes._

_Take care of yourself!_

_Love, Al_

 

"Man, did you _see_ Granger last night?  Oh, if you had only _seen_ the way she looked!  She looked bloody amazing!  I didn't even recognize her at first!"

Zabini shook his head slowly, smiling at the memory as he stuffed more of his clothes into a suitcase.  The Crabbe/Goyles exchanged confused looks as they listened to him rant about Slughorn's party while packing up their things.  Draco seemed to be ignoring him, lying stretched out on his four poster bed with his eyes shut.  Edward was quiet as well, distracted by the letter he had received that morning during breakfast, a faint blush on his cheeks and an annoyed look on his face.

Everyone was preparing to leave Hogwarts for their vacation, since the train would be leaving for London in a little less than an hour.  Only Ed and Draco weren't packing yet; Draco had long since decided he would leave the school grounds when he wanted to and on his own terms, and Ed had no idea what he was supposed to be doing.  He hadn't received any instructions on the matter yet, but was definitely hoping to go back to Amestris.  If Alphonse wanted to hear all about what had been happening, Ed figured it was better done in person.  Besides, he missed his kid brother something terrible.  They'd never been apart for this long before.

"I think even Malfoy's jaw would've dropped at the sight of her!" Zabini continued.  The comment immediately irked Draco as a scowl appeared on his face.  "It was like... Like the bloody Yule Ball, all over again!  _Damn_ Elric, you're my bloody hero!  She really does have quite a figure!  Hell, I wish _I_ was the one to cop a feel!"

Draco's face nearly turned scarlet, lips turned down into a deep frown.  Zabini didn't seem to notice, too busy preparing his things to leave.

"I did _not_ try to feel her up!" Ed shouted indignantly as he put Al's letter away.

"Oh, come on, Elric!" Zabini said with a playful smirk.  "You realize you've got boasting rights.  Got anything to say apart from 'I'm a lucky bastard?'"

Draco clenched his teeth and reached for his wand, clearly preparing to hex someone if they stepped a fraction of an inch out of line.  Ed was just annoyed by Zabini's ranting.

"How 'bout this?" he growled, picking up one of his books at random.  "Shut the hell _up_."

The grin on Zabini's face just grew as he snapped his suitcase shut.  Ed glanced over at him and frowned.  He wanted to transmute Zabini's shoes into the floor, or the floor around his body, or his clothes over his head.  If only he could at _least_ punch him.  Maybe he would, for good measure.

The Crabbe/Goyles were confused.  "I thought that we're supposed to hate Gryffindors and Mudbloods."

"Ah, but that was _before_ ," said Zabini, wagging his finger in the air.  "Elric has opened the door, launched us into a world of foxy Gryffindor girls!  It's time to explore this overlooked realm!"  He suddenly grinned fiendishly.  "And if their arses are anything like Granger's, I wouldn't mind having a taste!"

Ed immediately threw the book he was holding at Zabini, grinning slightly when it hit him square in the head; though in the next second he had to lament the fact that it was one of his thinner books and not something more damaging.  At almost the same time, Draco grabbed his wand and raised Zabini up into the air, pressing him against the ceiling.  Though extremely shocked and in some pain, Zabini erupted into boisterous laughter.

"Touchy little wankers, are we?"

"DON'T CALL ME LITTLE!" Ed yelled, waving his fist.

"Just keep your bloody mouth shut," Draco barked out gruffly.

One of the Crabbe/Goyles stared up at Zabini, impressed.  "Wow, you're really gettin' good at those non-verbal spells, huh, Malfoy?"

"And there's more where that came from," Draco grunted.

Zabini smiled slightly.  "All right, I got it.  So you mind letting me down already?"

"I'll let you down when I feel like it."

Crabbe and Goyle both laughed, ignoring the annoyed look on their friend's face.  Ed pulled out his wand and cast _accio_ on the book he had thrown, catching it deftly in one hand as it came back to him.  He leafed through the pages quickly before putting it down and picking up his research notebook instead.  One of the Crabbe/Goyles looked over at Ed, pushing down on the lid of his heavily packed suitcase.

"Hey Elric," he called, "what are you doing for the break?"

Ed lowered his notebook slightly to look pointedly at the one that had spoken.  "That's gotta be the thousandth time you guys've asked me that."  Crabbe/Goyle shrugged helplessly as Ed took a deep, exasperated breath.  "I'm not sure yet, but I'll probably be heading home.  I'm just waiting to hear from my school's administration."

He had repeated those same sentences so often by now that he sounded like a machine when he said them.  Crabbe/Goyle just nodded in understanding, but Ed was almost positive that he was going to forget again after a few more minutes.  Then suddenly, as though on cue, an owl appeared at one of windows of the dorm, tapping eagerly at the glass.  This came as no small shock to Ed, considering that the dorms were beneath the lake, and just beyond what he had believed to be air-tight glass was water.  Even so, there was somehow an owl behind that glass, rapping on the window.

Apparently, the other Slytherins had seen this before.  One of the Crabbe/Goyles went to the window and unlatched it, in spite of the surprised, horrified expression across Ed's face.  And instead of pouring out into the room and engulfing everyone inside, the lake water stayed firmly in place.  Only the owl entered the room, looking as though it hadn't just been underwater.

"What's wrong, Elric?" asked the other Crabbe/Goyle.

Ed just opened and shut his mouth, unable to voice himself.  After all this time he would've expected to be more used to the many magical things that were clearly considered commonplace.  And yet he still found himself with one eye twitching at the sight of an owl flying in through an underwater window while no amount of water came spilling in through the whole.  That was at  _least_  three laws of physics broken in one fell swoop.  Lots of things were wrong.

Draco looked at the owl curiously.  "That looks like one of Mother's owls... Who's it for?"

Before Crabbe/Goyle could reply, the owl hopped across the floor and fluttered up onto the end of Ed's bed.  For a moment, the golden-eyed boy could only stare at the owl in disbelief.  He had definitely never seen this owl before, and even more confusing was the letter the bird was holding and the Amestrian military seal that could be found on it.  The other Slytherin boys looked at Ed in surprise.

"For _Elric_?" they all said in unison.

Suddenly everyone was talking, beside themselves with shock and curiosity.  Ed just ignored them and reached for the letter, untying it from the owl's leg and allowing it to leave (back out the window, which Ed had to admit he was worried about).  He quickly fished the note out of the envelope and read its contents.

 

_Fullmetal -_

_You are to spend your vacation with Draco for now._

_We will see to retrieving you from the Malfoy estate within the next few days, pending your arrival._

_You'd better be doing your job.  That is all._

_\- Roy Mustang_

 

Ed growled in annoyance.  Somehow, he had expected to hear something like this.  He was sure that this wasn't going to sit well with his charge.  But at least it sounded like they may be taking him home.  He missed everyone and was pretty excited to get to see them again.  He even missed Hughes and his endless supply of Elysia photos (though he wasn’t sure he could say the same for Major Armstrong).  As he quickly read through the letter again, Ed realized that Mustang hadn't told him where he was, even though he had asked him quite directly at the end of his last report.  He muttered something about incompetent soldiers as he unceremoniously chucked the letter onto his bedside table.

Suddenly, Ed was very aware of the chorus of voices that came from his roommates.

"What's it say?"

"Something happening?"

"Who's it from?"

"Don't leave us in the dark, Elric!"

The state alchemist just sighed in exasperation.  "It's from my school.  They say to leave with Draco to his place and they'll pick me up from there."

"WHAT?!   _WHY_?!"

The rage was obvious on Draco's face and took over his mind so completely that the _leviosa_ charm he had cast on Zabini was involuntarily released, allowing the boy to fall to the ground with a loud thud.  Ed looked over at Draco and shrugged.

"Probably because they don't know of anywhere else," he said flatly.

"There's the bloody train station!" Malfoy yelled.  "Why don't they get you _there_?"

"Look," Ed snapped, turning around, "if it were up to me, then I _would_ be getting picked up from there, but y'know what?  It's _not_ up to me, so we're just gonna have to deal with their damn orders no matter how much they suck!"

Seeing the logic in Ed's words, Draco turned away quickly and shut his silver eyes.  "Damn," he grumbled.  "I already owled Mother saying I'd leave on Monday..."

"So then you leave on Monday," Zabini said with a shrug, having picked himself up off the floor.  "What's the problem?"

"The problem is that I was expecting to be here _by myself_.  Not with _Elric_ hanging around."

Ed narrowed his eyes at Malfoy, struggling to keep himself quiet.  He wanted to snap back at him, again, but he couldn't allow the situation to get any worse.

"It'll just be the weekend," Crabbe/Goyle said encouragingly.  "Today and tomorrow.  You can stick it out."

Malfoy grunted angrily, saying something about not being able to get anything done under his breath.  Ed just rolled his eyes and settled back into his bed, grabbing his notebook again.

"If it bothers you that much," Zabini added, "there should be another train leaving later this afternoon."

"Right," Draco mumbled, lying back onto his bed.

Zabini smiled proudly, looking at his closed suitcase as though it were a prize winning project he'd been working on for weeks.  He then turned to Crabbe and Goyle, who were also finished packing and sat obediently on their beds.

"You lot ready to go?" Zabini asked them, grabbing the clutch of his suitcase.

"Yep," Crabbe and Goyle answered in unison, simultaneously getting up and grabbing their bags.  Ed rolled his eyes again as he watched them, convinced that they could easily be twins.

"I guess we'll see you lot when we get back, eh?" said Zabini, turning back to Ed and Draco.  "So... Happy Christmas and all that."

Draco nodded absent-mindedly, reaching for the latest bag of snacks that his mother sent him and popping one into his mouth.  Ed just shrugged his shoulders, not exactly accustomed to the celebration of Christmas.  Then the three boys left, slipping out the door with one final word of goodbye.  As the door shut behind them, the room immediately descended into a tomblike silence, the two Slytherins stretched out on their beds.

They remained in silence for a long time, neither of them really moving from their beds.  Draco occasionally looked over at Ed expectantly, as though he were waiting for Ed to leave, but the alchemist was completely absorbed in his books and notes.  By the time Ed pulled himself away from the texts, Draco had fallen asleep.  He glanced over at Draco's slumbering body and frowned.  He was in big trouble with this kid, and he had to get out of it somehow.  The only good thing that came out of Draco's moody silence was the opportunity it gave Ed to think.

His search for the Philosopher's Stone didn't seem to be getting anywhere (it was all the same stuff being repeated over and over again, what _else_ was new), but he felt like he was finally starting to understand magic.  So far, he had figured out that the words and wand movements were equal to a transmutation circle; the equations and calculations were somehow infused within each, giving the spell direction and shape.  His suspicion was that the equivalent exchange of magic was varying amounts of the wielder's energy, possibly depending on the complexity of the spell.  He wasn't entirely sure about the last part yet (it was what he spent the better part of his time figuring out), but that was his theory and it sure made a lot of sense to him.

Ed pulled away from his notes and books, cupping his chin thoughtfully in his hands.   _'Can I somehow use this to make a Philosopher's Stone?  But... how much energy would I need?  How much would be equivalent to possibly dozens of human lives?'_

He shook his head, deciding to save that thought for another time.  Only then did Ed shut his books and start to put them away, moving over to his trunk.  As he shoved the books and materials that inhabited the thing to make room, he stumbled across his auto-mail kit.  He blinked in surprise.  Now that he thought about it, Ed hadn't really been able to give his auto-mail a decent run down in a long time.  The most he ever had time to do was polish it and make sure it didn't rust.  Deciding now was as good a time as any, he pulled out the kit and made his way to the bathroom to give his auto-mail a quick check-up.

 

When he came back to the dorm Ed half-expected to find Malfoy missing again, but was surprised to see that he was still in the room.  He was also surprised that Draco was packing his things and preparing to leave.  Ed slowly entered the room, a confused look on his face.

"What're you doing?"

"Packing," Draco answered gruffly.  "What's it look like?"

"That's not what I was asking," Ed grumbled, rolling his eyes.

"We're taking the next train out of here, got it?"

He hesitated.  "Uh... Sure, but... Why?"

Draco pressed his clothes roughly into the suitcase, flattening them.  "Because I don't want to be stuck here with _just you_ for another few days."

Ed fell silent, still standing near the doorway.  He stared blankly at Draco's suitcase.  He had absolutely no idea what he was going to do about building some sort of friendship with him.  It was just Ed's luck that he'd realize how much he was _actually_ going to need Draco's trust to fulfill his mission duties when it was too late.  But how could he have known how Draco felt about Hermione?  Chalk up one more reason to hate dating: _way_ too complicated.

Without a word Ed walked over to his bed and grabbed his own suitcase, plopping it down on top of the mattress.  He inserted the auto-mail kit first since it was still in his hands and then went to his trunk to see what else he would need.  He grabbed a few sets of his usual clothes (he had transmuted several during his stay), his sleeping clothes, a few books, and his research notebook.

"What about your mom?" Ed asked at length.  "Isn't she expecting you on Monday?"

"It'll be fine," muttered Draco.  "She's probably secretly hoping I come home early anyway."

They were quiet again as Ed shut his case.  He stared at the clutch for a moment, dimly realizing that he didn't need much of anything at all, and then wandered back to his trunk to fix it up.  He wondered whether or not he should apologize to Draco about asking Hermione out, but... was that really his fault?  He mulled over the events of the previous night, pieces of Al's letter echoing in his mind.

_"Do you like her, Brother?"_

Edward himself wasn't entirely sure of the answer to that question.  He had asked her to go as part of his mission and the real purpose of the date had been information-gathering.  He hadn't been banking on Hermione dressing up so nicely for the party, and now it was clear that Draco was crazy about her.  How was he to get himself out of _this_ mess?

"About Hermione..."

He had spoken without really thinking and immediately regretted it.  There was a loud thud and snap as Draco roughly shut his suitcase.

"Shut it.  I don't want to hear another word."  He then stomped toward the door, his suitcase in hand.  "Hurry up, Elric.  That's an order," he jeered, then flung the door open and left.

Ed narrowed his amber-gold eyes as Draco vanished beyond the door.  He clapped his hands and laid them on top of the trunk, using alchemy to fuse the lid to the body so that no one would ever be able to open it without breaking it.  Then, pulling on his red duster, Ed got to his feet, grabbed his suitcase, and followed Draco out.

"This is gonna be one long train ride..."

 

And he was right.  It was a very awkward train ride that afternoon.  Draco had wanted to be in two separate compartments, but the afternoon train was surprisingly full and they ended up sharing one.  They were lying stretched out on opposite benches, facing in opposite directions.  The past few hours had been spent in complete silence, though neither boy went to sleep.  They merely stared straight ahead of them, blank expressions on both their faces.

Ed stared out the window, watching the rolling scenery whiz by as the sky began to turn a deep orange color.  His mind swam, trying to formulate some kind of plan to get Draco's trust, or even just to get on his good side.  But it seemed like everything boiled back down to what he'd said about Hermione and how he felt about her.  Which meant that Ed was going to have to apologize for going with her to the party, even if he thought it wasn't really his fault.  Ed stole a quick glance at Draco's face and sighed in exasperation.  It was about time to clear the air.

"Look," he said abruptly.  "I didn't know you felt that way about her."

An annoyed expression flickered over Draco's face.  "Felt what way, exactly?" he muttered darkly.  "Frankly, Elric, you shouldn't be talking about things you know nothing about."

The alchemist narrowed his eyes, annoyed.  "Yeah, right.  Except I _do_ know a thing or two."

"Oh, and what's that?" Draco asked sarcastically.

"You've got some seriously unresolved issues with Hermione."

The Malfoy heir snorted.  "I have no _issues_ with Granger, unresolved or whatnot, thank you very much.  I hate Potter, I hate Weasley, I hate her.  End of story."

Ed rolled his eyes, as he sat upright, swinging his legs back over the bench so that he was facing him.  "So what's the deal, anyway?  Are you scared or something?  She won't take your head off with a wrench, you should just tell her-"

Draco turned his silver eyes on Edward angrily.  "Tell her _what_?  That I'm sick of the sight of her?  That her laughter makes my insides crawl?  That she's slowly _killing me_?"

Ed couldn't help but smirk, folding his arms over his chest and leaning back into the seat.  "Well hey, better than nothing."

Draco narrowed his eyes.  "Listen closely, Elric.  I don't want to hear another word about Granger out of you.  Actually, I don't want to hear another _anything_ out of you for the remainder of the trip.  So do both of us a favor and just _shut the bloody hell up_!"

He then rolled onto his side so Ed couldn't see his face with an irritated grunt.  Ed just looked at him, fuming silently.  Obviously, apologizing to Draco was a lost cause.  Not just because Ed seemed to keep finding ways to make it worse, but because the brat was in denial.  Probably because of the supposed Mudblood-pureblood enmity and his social status, which were both very stupid reasons in Ed's opinion.  There had to be some way to show these people how idiotic they were being.

On the other hand, Ed could always just get away from them all.  In fact... That was probably a better idea.  Nothing short of a series of miracles could make this entire trip worth the trouble.  He then made his mind up right there: he would quit this stupid, complex mission as soon as he could.  He was sure he would be allowed to continue researching magic, though.  It was, after all, a whole new lead on the Philosopher's Stone.

The rest of the train ride to King's Cross Station was silent, just as Draco had demanded.  Ed conceded to allow his mind to drift over his research until the Hogwarts Express pulled into the station and everyone disembarked.  Both boys retrieved their things and Ed silently followed Draco to Diagon Alley.  There were a few times that the Slytherin tried to lose him in the crowd, but Ed persisted.  Even though he had every intention to quit the mission, losing sight of Draco would be a problem: how would he get back to headquarters?

They eventually reached some sort of pub/inn called the Leaky Cauldron, which was apparently their destination.  Once there, Draco dutifully marched toward the fireplace, not sparing a glance in either direction as though he really didn't want to be there.  He then pulled out a bag of green powder and grabbed a handful.  He wordlessly shoved the bag into Ed's hands, obviously meaning for him to do the same.  He then took a deep breath and shouted, in a very clear and distinct voice, "Malfoy Manor" and simultaneously thrust the green powder into the fireplace.  Ed watched, jumping slightly in surprise, as green flames suddenly spouted from the fireplace and swallowed Draco whole.

"You gotta be kidding me," he muttered, uneasily realizing that he was to do the same.

After a moment of mentally debating with himself, Ed stepped up, reached into the bag, and grabbed a handful of the green powder.  Then, squeezing his eyes shut and hoping for the best, imitated Draco's actions.

He was partially amazed by what happened when the emerald fire consumed him.  Everything began to spin very fast, allowing Ed only blurred glimpses of what he assumed were potential stops.  After a while he began to slow down and soon found himself stopped in the fireplace of what he had to assume was the living room of Malfoy Manor.  It was hard to tell, since the room was so dark.  Ed knew that Draco stood next to him, just as bewildered by the appearance of their destination.  They looked around cautiously, not sure whether or not they had ended up in the right place.  Ed took a careful step forward and out of the fireplace.

The room wasn't completely darkened; there were candles lit all around the room.  Some of them were floating in the air, others just on tables and shelves.  Ed could have sworn several of them were scented and what was even stranger was that they were all scents that were... well, almost erotic.

Draco stepped out from the fireplace as well, wrinkling his nose.  Then, quickly and without much warning, he pulled out his wand and said, " _Lumos Maxima_."

Everything was instantly lit up and both Draco and Ed received the assurance that they had indeed arrived in Malfoy Manor.  But neither one of them could have expected, much less be prepared for, the scene that was unfolding in front of them.  Their eyes practically bulged out of their heads in shock and their jaws visibly dropped open.

Lying sprawled out on the couch with their arms wrapped about one another in a passionate embrace were Narcissa Malfoy and Roy Mustang.  They had yet to notice the two boys standing, shocked and awestruck, in front of the fireplace, and continued their make out session for a few more moments in blissful ignorance.  Or at least they _would_ have continued, if it weren't for one very angry, very traumatized son.

"G-GET THE _HELL_ OFF OF HER!" Draco roared in fury.

The faces of both adults flushed red as they realized they'd been caught.  At once they sprang apart from one another and attempted to fix their appearances, trying to make themselves look distinguished and disguise the fact that they had just been passionately making out.  Narcissa quickly ran her hands through her disheveled hair, trying desperately to tame it as Roy hastily redid the buttons of his top.

"Draco!" Lady Malfoy spluttered.  "Darling!  Wha-What are you doing home so early?  I thought you said you would be coming home on Monday!"

"What the _bloody hell_ is going on around here?!" yelled Draco, not listening.  "Why the hell were you two _snogging_ in the bloody _living room_?!"

Before she could get another word out, Draco spun around to face the colonel, pointing his wand straight into his face.

"And _YOU_ ," he growled.  Roy remained silent and just stared coolly into the boy's eyes.  "Get out of my sight before I turn you into a ferret."

The colonel gave a small smirk and slowly got to his feet without argument.  His gaze hardened when he turned to look at Ed, who was looking back at him with a mischievous smirk on his face and trying very hard not to laugh.  Roy narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Edward," he said evenly.  "It's good to see you.  I half expected to find you in even smaller pieces than usual."

Ed folded his arms over his chest, his smirk slowly giving way to a grin.  The "small" comment irritated him, but he would let it slide this time.  He had just gotten hold of some grade A blackmail material.  Not to mention the comment was weak.  Compared to any other jab the man had ever made at Edward's height, that one was pathetic.  A small, amused chuckle escaped from his lips.

"I didn't expect to find you here at all, Mustang."  Suddenly, he couldn't hold it any longer.  All at once, Ed found himself grinning almost evilly, unable to stop the laughter from breaking up the next words he spoke.  "You really _are_ a dirty bastard!"

Roy clenched his teeth in annoyance as Ed laughed his head off.  It was nice to be able to wipe the arrogant smirk off the colonel's face.  Meanwhile, Draco had turned back to his mother and was yelling about betrayal and being around despicable characters like Roy Mustang.  Both state alchemists watched the rather one-sided argument for a few moments, Ed still laughing and very much amused by the entire situation.  He couldn't help but hope that Draco would hex Mustang into oblivion soon.

"Fullmetal," called Mustang sternly, making Ed look back at him.  "Come with me."

As Ed finally started to settle down, the colonel silently led him into a separate room.  They entered what appeared to be some sort of den or office that had a large desk and several bookshelves lining the walls.  Above the desk was a large portrait of Lucius Malfoy and it seemed very clear that this was where he used to work.  As Mustang shut the door, Ed seated himself comfortably in one of the chairs in front of the desk.  He let out a low, impressed whistle as he looked around.

"So I guess you've claimed all of Lucius' stuff for your own," he said mockingly.  He then gave Roy a meaningful look.  "Including his wife."

Colonel Mustang glared at Ed.  "Fullmetal."

"How long have you guys been at it?  Would... four months be a fair guess?"

"Fullmetal."

"Man, I feel sorry for Lt. Hawkeye!  To think she was actually _worried_ about you."

"Fullmetal."

"So is this just a fling?  Or are you planning on actually taking this relationship somewhere?"

The colonel twitched.  " _Fullmetal_."

"What?  I think everyone has a right to know the truth, colonel."

"That's _enough_ , Fullmetal," Roy growled, reaching the limit of his patience.  "I want to hear a full status report on your mission."

Ed grinned, finally allowing the subject to drop.  There would be plenty of time to make fun of the colonel later, after all.  He then leaned back into his chair and thought for a moment, choosing his words carefully before speaking.

"Draco Malfoy is _definitely_ linked to Voldemort," he said evenly.  "He's on some kind of special assignment that the guy personally gave him.  Professor Severus Snape seems to want in on it - oh yeah, could you get someone to run a background check on that guy?  Anyway, he was offering Malfoy help.  Said something about... an 'unbreakable vow' he'd made with Narcissa, or something like that.  You wouldn't happen to know what that is, would you?"

Roy furrowed his brow thoughtfully, his dark eyes lowered to the desk.  "Can't say that I have.  You didn't look it up before coming here?"

"Didn't have the chance," Ed replied with a slow shake of his head.  "But I plan to."

The colonel nodded.  "Good.  Is there anything else of note?"

Ed was quiet for a moment, considering what else might concern the colonel and the goals of his mission.  "Had some problems with Malfoy.  He kept disappearing somewhere, probably something to do with his assignment, and I couldn't find him anywhere.  It was like he would literally vanish into thin air.  He doesn't trust me at all and I can't get anything out of him unless he does."  Ed groaned and scratched his head in frustration.  "And after last night, that's gonna be near impossible..."

"Oh?"  Mustang's eyebrows arched upward in affected surprise.  "What happened last night?"

"Professor Slughorn's Christmas party."  Ed blushed slightly.  "I, uh... apparently asked the girl of his dreams to go with me."  An amused smirk had suddenly crept onto Roy's face, at which Ed scowled as a bit of color rose into his face in embarrassment.  "I was just trying to get info on the idiot, okay?  I think she was definitely the right person to pick, but now Malfoy's gone nuts over the whole thing, and I seriously doubt that's something I can fix.  So now it's gonna be impossible for me to get anything else out of him and you're gonna need to find someone else to get all buddy-buddy with him."

Mustang leaned back in his seat with a knowing nod of his head.  "Stealing one's girlfriend _is_ grounds for complication."

Ed's evil grin returned, though only at half-force.  "Yeah, you would know, wouldn't you?"

The colonel narrowed his eyes at Ed and frowned.  "In any case, we'll need to smooth that issue over.  You'll have to remain here with Draco to sort things out."

Instantly, the evil grin vanished as Ed leaned forward in his seat, his eyes wide.  "Did you not hear what I just told you?!  No part of this is my forte.  I've already messed it up, so just let me go back to Amestris!"

After a moment of silence, Colonel Mustang slowly shook his head.  "Not just yet."

"Why the hell _not_?  I'm _done_ with this mission, Mustang.  You only ordered me to watch over Draco and see if he's got a link to Voldemort, and now that we know he does-"

"The situation is more delicate than that and calls for more time.  If you and Draco were on good terms then I would be able to permit an absence-"

"I'm not asking for an absence!  I-"

"Your orders," Mustang said firmly, raising his voice, "are to stay with Draco.  Is that clear?"

There was another pause as Ed studied the colonel's face.   _Stay with Draco_?  Great.  Mustang was really getting good at issuing stupid, vague orders.  And what did he mean by the situation being "more delicate than that?"  What did that even _mean_?  Did it have anything to do with what he had discovered about the weird society rules that were in place?  Politics?  The colonel's expression was completely unreadable, but if Ed was right in his assumption, then Mustang had made his point.  There was no use in arguing any further.  He groaned softly, massaging his forehead and hiding his eyes.

"Fine, but... Will I at least get to see Al?"

Roy looked thoughtful for a moment, considering the request, then rose to his feet and moved around the desk toward the door.  "Very well.  I'll see if we can arrange for Alphonse to be brought here."  A relieved sound came out of Edward.  "Alright, that's enough for now.  I'll owl Central in regards to your upcoming assessment.  I should be able to vouch for you, so you can relax."  

Ed breathed a sigh of relief.  He hated that yearly assessment .  

"But just in case, have a full, detailed report prepared on all of your findings."  Roy smirked at the scowl that now marred Ed's features.  "I'll also owl Hughes about Severus Snape and see if he can get on that right away.  Leave your things in Draco's room until Narcissa and I figure out the living arrangements.  I'll be sure to keep you posted on what our next move will be."

With a firm nod of his head, Ed got to his feet and started for the door that Mustang was now holding open.  His smirk found its way back onto his face as he passed the colonel.

"Oh yeah," he said, a sly, teasing tone in his voice.  "Just one last question..."

Roy raised one eyebrow at him suspiciously.  "Yes?"

Ed couldn't stop his grin from growing.  "When's the wedding?"

The colonel glared at Ed hatefully as he hurried away, his mocking laughter echoing up and down the halls.  If Ed had his way, then Mustang would _never_ hear the end of this escapade.  At the same time, he was eternally grateful that Mustang's ignition gloves were nowhere in sight.


	16. Visitation Rights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who's coming to dinner?

  

Draco glared at Ed from his bed.  "What are you still doing here?"

The young alchemist remained standing in the doorway, taking a few moments to gaze at Draco's room.  The first thing that he noticed was the sheer size of it. There was apparently more room available to Draco than he knew what to do with.  His room was simply decorated, once again in shades of silver and green. The bed was a king-sized four-poster bed, like an enlarged version of what they had in Hogwarts, with Draco's initials written on its curtains in silver.  On either side of the large bed were huge latticed windows and a door that led out to some sort of balcony. There was a long, emerald-green couch against the wall closest to the door that had large, soft-looking throw pillows on it.  Lining the walls were shelves and drawers with pictures of Draco and other members of the Malfoy family.

"Nice room," said Ed as he stepped inside, dropping his trunk onto the couch.  "Big."

The Malfoy heir's glare didn't soften.  " _What are you still doing here_?  Your bloody professor, headmaster, principal person is here, so why aren't you lot pissing off yet?"

Ed casually sat down on the couch next to his trunk.  "In case you hadn't noticed, Mustang seems to really like your mother.  I'd be willing to bet he's not planning on leaving any time soon."

Draco's eye twitched.  Ed grinned inwardly. It was way too much fun to bring it up just to see the look on Draco's face.  It was _priceless_.

They were definitely never going to be friends.

"He told me to leave my stuff in here until they figure out where to put me," Ed continued as he retrieved a book from his suitcase.  "So we'll just have to stick it out for a few more excruciating hours."

"Fine," Draco growled, settling back into bed.  "Just keep it all out of my way."

"Sure."

He then turned to the book in his hands, absent-mindedly flipping through the pages.  Draco glared at him for a few more moments before turning away, muttering under his breath about bookworms and pests.  Ed stared blankly at the words on the pages for a moment before glancing back at Draco.

"Can I ask you something?"

"You just did."

Ed glared, narrowing his eyes.  He'd ask his question anyway. "Why a ferret?"

Draco turned slightly so he could see Ed, giving him a weird look.  "Excuse me?"

"Earlier.  You threatened to turn Mustang into a ferret, remember?"

"Oh, that."  He scowled and rolled onto his side.    "It's an easy animal to kick around, is all."

Ed laughed out loud at that.  "I'm gonna keep that in mind."

Though Draco wasn't sure whether or not to take that as a compliment or an insult, he smiled slightly.  It was nice to know they at least saw eye to eye on something.

 

Roy and Narcissa lent Ed a room across the hall from Draco's.  It was, as Roy had put it, close enough for him to be able to keep tabs on Draco, but far enough to allow both of them some privacy.  A whole ten yards. Hooray. Draco protested against this, demanding to know why on earth Ed couldn't be put into a separate wing seeing as there were, after all, dozens of other empty rooms in the house.  His arguments were quickly shut down since Narcissa was in no mood to deal with him - not after the earlier yelling she'd had to endure from her only son. Ed said nothing, knowing exactly what was on Mustang's mind, though he did have to wonder whether or not Narcissa had been told anything.  Even so, Draco was all too happy to help Ed settle in that night, eagerly dragging his trunk across the hall and tossing his things unceremoniously onto the bed before heading back into his own room to sleep.

The next day passed uneventfully.  Draco skulked about the estate, preferring to stay as far away from Edward as possible.  Ed didn't mind at all; he didn't really need to follow Draco around the manor, even though Mustang insisted that he do so (probably to keep him distracted from trying to find out whatever he and Narcissa secretly did all day long).  This gave him time to think and he certainly had a lot on his mind. So whenever he got tired of puzzling through his books and notes or writing that cursed report for his assessment, he allowed himself to take a much needed break by exploring the large mansion.

The day was otherwise completely boring and seemed to last much longer than was necessary.  The only things Ed looked forward to were their meals. Aristocrats ate well, there was no doubt about that, and the food was delicious and came in ample servings.  Ed helped himself to as much as his body could stand, though he made sure to keep himself looking dignified in Narcissa's presence. Draco would occasionally make odd sounds that closely resembled stifled laughter, since he knew how Ed ate under normal circumstances.

It was only during that night's dinner that anything happened.  Neither Ed nor Draco said a word as they ate their meal. Only Roy and Narcissa's voices could be heard as they shamelessly flirted with one another, irritating both teenagers to no end.  They tried very hard to keep their faces smooth and expressionless in spite of how irritated they were by the laughter.

Not long after dinner began, there was a thunderous knock on the front door.  Mustang looked ready to get up and answer it, but Narcissa made a motion for him to remain seated and instructed one of the house-elves to get it.

"I wonder who it could be?" wondered Narcissa aloud as the house-elf disappeared.  "It's rather late for any sort of house call or visit."

"It should be fine, Narcissa," Roy assured her, laying a hand over hers.  "I doubt anyone dangerous is out there tonight. Besides, you're perfectly safe here with me."

An affectionate look appeared on Narcissa's face as she melted under his gaze.  "Roy..."

Draco violently jabbed at his steak, shooting Roy another hateful glare as he did so.  Ed barely managed to stop himself from laughing as he quickly reached for his drink and took several long sips.  Neither one of the adults took any notice and continued to stare into each other's eyes, smiling.

"My lady?"

Slowly, Narcissa looked away from Roy and turned to the house-elf that was now standing in the entranceway to the dining room.  The small creature seemed somewhat nervous, twiddling its fingers as it looked at everyone at the table.

"Yes?"

The house-elf bowed.  "There's a visitor. He says he's here for my master and lady's guests."

Ed's eyebrows shot up and he turned to look at Roy.  "Who'd you send for?"

Before Mustang could answer him, their guest stepped into the doorway.  "Good evening, everyone."

The young alchemist's eyes grew wide and he immediately spun around in his seat to face the visitor.  Sure enough, standing next to the house-elf, completely dwarfing it in comparison, was a large, hulking suit of armor.  It stood at almost eight feet tall and wore a small, light-colored loincloth of some kind. Its hands were politely clasped in front of it as it bowed low in greeting to everyone in the room.

"I'm very sorry for interrupting your meal," the armor said politely, the young (though certainly male) voice reverberating slightly within the suit.

This was one of very few moments in Malfoy history that both Narcissa and Draco seemed to be frightened.  The expression was more apparent on Narcissa's face as she stared wide-eyed at the suit of armor with her mouth hanging slightly agape.  She was suddenly clutching Roy's hand very tightly in hers, finding herself unable to speak in spite of her attempts to do so. She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, vaguely resembling a goldfish as she did so.  Draco had also found himself at a loss for words and could only stare at the suit of armor.

After a brief moment, the armor jumped slightly in place as he noticed Mustang at the dinner table.  "C-Colonel? What are you doing _here_?"

Draco raised his eyebrows in affected surprise and also turned to look at Mustang.  "'Colonel'?"

Roy returned Draco's suspicious look with a cool gaze and then turned to the suit of armor with a meaningful look in his dark eyes.  The armor seemed instantly distraught, waving his hands before him in a clear fit of panic.

"Oh!  I mean!  Um... Mr. Mustang!  Sir!  I mean..."

Narcissa slowly looked at Roy, a questioning look on her pale face.  The colonel smiled back at her reassuringly. "There's no need to be so alarmed," he said gently.  "This is-"

"ALPHONSE!"

Without anyone noticing, Ed had suddenly leapt out of his seat at the table and hurled himself upon Alphonse in what looked to be a very awkward hug.  And if the loud "clang" that had accompanied the action was any indication, it must have been somewhat painful for Edward. Despite that, there was a joyous look on Ed's face that neither Malfoy had ever seen before.  All at once, everyone looked shocked and surprised. It was hard to tell, but it seemed that Al was, too.

"Whoa!  It's nice to see you, too-!"  

Roy narrowed his eyes at Ed in annoyance.  "Edward, I'm trying to introduce your-"

"It'll have to wait," Ed said quickly, grinning as he dragged Al away by the arm.  "C'mere, Al!"

"Wh-Wha... huh?"

Mustang rose to his feet, just about to order Ed to stop and return to the meal, but they were gone so quickly he didn't have the chance.  He let out an annoyed breath and sank back into his chair, putting one hand to his head. The dinner table remained silent for a few more moments, both Narcissa and Draco sitting very still with their eyes lingering on the spot that the suit of armor had appeared.  At length, they both looked to Roy for an explanation. The dark-haired colonel was slightly slumped in his seat, one hand gingerly massaging his temple.

"Roy, what just happened?"

"Who the bloody hell was that armored man?"

The colonel slowly looked at the two Malfoys and sighed, hoping not to sound as exhausted as he felt.  "That was Alphonse Elric," he explained. "He is Edward's younger brother."

Narcissa gasped softly, her eyes going wide in surprise.  "His _younger_ brother?"

"Shouldn't it be the other way around?" asked Draco.  "I mean, Elric's so much _shorter_."

A smirk made its way onto Roy's face.  He was amused by the comment, but knew that it was a good thing that Ed had already left the room.  One of his trademark anti-short outbursts was _not_ going to help with his new headache.

 

Alphonse quickly blocked the incoming punch and forced his attacker back.

"That was really rude of you, Brother!  Just pulling me away like that!"

Ed leapt away for a brief moment and then pounced on his younger brother again with a flying kick, springing himself forward with more force this time.  Once more Al blocked the attack and deflected it, pushing Ed back once again. He flipped in the air so that he landed on his feet and crouched down.

"It'll be fine!  They don't care, they're rude, too!"

Then, narrowing his eyes slightly, Ed charged forward.  This time, however, Al chose to attack as well, swinging one mighty fist at his older brother.  Ed halted his charge at once and raised his arms in front of him to block the punch. It connected with his auto-mail arm so no damage was taken, but was still so forceful that Ed was pushed back with its momentum, his legs dragging through the shallow snow.

"That's not an excuse!"

"Aw, just shut up and fight."

He kicked some of the snow away and then sprang forward again with another kick that Al caught in one hand.  Ed pulled his body forward to kick at Al's head with his other leg, but he was blocked again. Al reared his arm back and tried to deliver an uppercut, but Ed pushed off of him and flipped backward in the air.  As he fell back to the ground, Al moved forward and swung another punch at him, but Ed crouched to the floor in a dodge and kicked one of Al's legs out from underneath him. Before he could lose his balance, Al used his raised leg to kick at Ed, but missed.

"I think your attacks are getting more ruthless," Al mused aloud as he dodged Ed's counterattack.  "Are you really _that_ angry about all this, Brother?"

Edward jumped back a few feet, flicking his long braid over his shoulder.  "Of course I am! You expect me _not_ to be?  Colonel bastard just dumps me with this kid and gives me vague orders like 'watch over him' and 'see if he's connected to Voldemort.'  I'm pretty sure I've established that he _is_ , but I've got this feeling that there's some other part to this mission and he's not telling me!"

"I suppose I never expected you to be happy with your position," Al murmured thoughtfully, "but I hoped you at least had fun at that magic school."

Ed rolled his eyes.  "Sure, Al," he said sarcastically.  "I had _loads_ of fun chasing Draco Malfoy around that giant school.  The best part was asking the paintings and ghosts if they'd seen him and having them mistake me for an eleven year old."

Al sighed in exasperation.  "You don't have to say it like that, you know..."

The older brother smirked slightly as he launched into another attack, making a roundhouse kick that Al once again blocked.  He ducked under another of Al's punches and tried to uppercut him, but missed his target as Al backed away. He then grabbed Ed's wrist and held him still for a moment.

"So I guess you and Mr. Draco aren't exactly friends?"

Ed kicked some snow up into Al's face and wrenched his arm out of his grasp.  He then quickly twisted around to deliver a high kick, which Al deflected with the back of his arm as he took a few steps back.

"You could say that," said Ed, as he barely dodged another kick.  "Didn't I tell you in my letters? He's not exactly the easiest person to get along with, you know.  He's really secretive and won't tell anything to someone he doesn't trust."

"So he's like you."

"IS _NOT_!  Anyway, I've been trying to figure out how to get him to trust me, but..."

He made a face as he dodged another attack and slipped behind Al.  The suit of armor whirled around, taking a few steps away from Ed. The brothers remained facing one another for a moment, Al giving Ed a few moments to catch his breath.  Ed briefly rubbed his left arm, trying to keep it warm.

"You didn't do anything mean or rude to him, did you?"

There was a pause as Ed appeared to be thinking.  Al took that as a "yes."

"So you've gotten yourself into trouble," Al commented with a sigh, shaking his head in dismay.  "You never change, Brother."

"What?" exclaimed Ed, shocked.  "What're you-"

"I _knew_ this would happen without me around!"

Ed's face fell and he looked away.  "Well, we didn't exactly have a choice there," he muttered.

Al only nodded.  "I know."

Then both boys fell back into a fighting stance.  Al made the first move, rushing forward with a punch.  Ed crouched down to dodge it and jumped a few feet back as Al followed his punch with a kick.  When Al's leg was right over his head, Ed grabbed it with both hands and swung himself up and over his brother's body, landing gracefully behind him.  Al darted forward to land another punch, but Ed quickly somersaulted back and away. When they were facing each other again, he just managed to block another of Al's punches, and Al immediately scooted backward.

"How is your study of magic going?"

"Well, I've been doing all sorts of research on how it works, but it's pretty complicated.  I've got a few theories, but still have to get my hands on some actual evidence before I-"

"Brother," Al laughed softly as he blocked one of Ed's roundhouse kicks, "you know you're not writing a research essay or anything."

"Yeah, but..."  Ed hesitated before continuing.  He hadn't told Al anything about his findings on the Philosopher's Stone and wasn't entirely sure whether or not he should.  He didn't want to get Al's hopes up in case he failed. "You know me. I just need to know, that's all."

It sounded like Al laughed softly again as he began to unleash a flurry of punches, but Ed couldn't tell over the clanging sounds that rang out every time he blocked with his right arm.  At length, Ed jumped back into a crouch, skidding slightly through the snow. Al rushed in and swung his arm downward, but Ed quickly dodged to the side on all fours. He then pushed himself up onto his arms and threw his legs over his body to kick Al with his heels.  Al blocked the hit from his left leg and grabbed onto his right, easily lifting him up off the ground and tossing him a good distance away.

Ed instinctively clapped his hands while he was in the air and slammed them down on the ground as he landed.  With a flash of blue light, a giant hand rose from the snow behind Al and reached forward to grab him. Al yelped in alarm as the icy fingers closed around his armor body and then froze, holding him tightly in place.

"BROTHER!" he shouted.  "No using alchemy during spars, remember?"

The state alchemist laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head.  "Right. My bad, Al, I wasn't thinking." He walked over to his younger brother and patted the fingers that were wrapped around him, letting out an impressed whistle.  "What a _beaut_."

"As always," Al added with an appreciative laugh.

"Yeah...?"  Ed looked the giant hand once over.  "Huh. I can't really tell."

"You need to remember that not everyone is as talented in alchemy as you are, Brother."

Ed shrugged.  "Well, it's been a while since I've transmuted anything like this since I'm pretty much screwed if I get caught.  I sure miss it." He gave a toothy grin and stretched his limbs out. "Man, I haven't been able to cut loose in such a long time!"

Al seemed shocked.  "You mean, you're completely out of practice?"

"Yep.  Alchemy, fighting...  As much as I'd love to sock Malfoy one in the nose, I can't 'cause I'm on orders.  And the closest thing they've got to fighting over there is this thing called a 'wizard's duel,' and they don't have 'em very often."

"So I suppose you were taking it all out in our sparring match?"

"I guess that could be it."  Ed grinned sheepishly. "Sorry 'bout that."  He then clapped his hands, turning his attention to the hand of snow and ice that was still holding Al.  "Well, I'd better fix this up."

He laid his hands on top of it and with another brilliant flash of light, the hand melted back into the ground without a trace.  Al sighed in relief and set to work adjusting himself properly while Ed looked around the courtyard, desperate to find more things to transmute.  His fingers itched for it. After a moment, Al turned to look over at the mansion.

"This house is huge, isn't it?"

The elder Elric turned slightly to see what Al was seeing.  At that moment, they were sitting in the middle of a large, empty space in the courtyard in the middle of the mansion.  They were surrounded on every side by the house, as though they were sitting in the center of a fortress, which only made the estate seem even larger to them.  Knowing that Al couldn't see the entire house from the courtyard, Ed drew a mental picture of Malfoy Manor (as he had explored it so far) in an attempt to estimate just how large the place was.

"You have no idea," he said, getting to his feet and shaking the snow off of him.  "You should see the rooms. They're _huge_."

Al looked at his brother excitedly.  "Really?"

Ed laughed.  "C'mon, let's go back inside and I'll show you.  I'm freezing my ass off out here anyway."

With a nod of his metal head, Al got to his feet and followed his older brother back into the mansion.  As they walked, they told one another more about what was going on in their lives. They already knew much of each other's stories because of their letters, but getting to actually hear them talk about it was different and more interesting.  Ed even demonstrated a few of the more simple magic spells to Al. By the time they reached Ed's room, there was only one topic that had yet to be discussed.

"So how was your date with Hermione?"

Ed flinched visibly.

Al turned to look at him, obviously confused.  "Brother...?"

"Uh..."

"Brother, what happened?"  Then, getting increasingly alarmed, "What did you do?!  Were you rude to her?! Were you... Brother, you didn't do anything like...?!"

"What?!  No! I didn't do anything!  The date thing was fine, it's just that Malfoy-"

He stopped, catching himself before he let anything slip out.  Ed wasn't entirely sure whether or not it was a good idea to be telling Al about Draco's feelings.  It would have been one thing if it were just simple facts that were mission relevant, but this was human emotion and Edward Elric was not _completely_ oblivious to that difference.  He didn't have any right to be telling people about how he felt, and Draco had made it very clear that he didn't want anyone to know.  Telling Mustang was different; the bastard hadn't been given any names or details. Al, on the other hand, knew just short of everything already.

"What?  What happened to Mr. Draco?"

_'But this is_ Al _,'_ Ed reasoned with himself as he flopped himself onto the bed.  He looked back at his younger brother, finally deciding to at least tell him _something_.  He gave Al a "don't-let-him-find-out-you-know" look before answering.  "Well... He got kinda... jealous."

Al sat down at the silver sofa across the bedroom.  "Jealous?"

Ed nodded silently.

"Is he... Were they...?"

He nodded again.  There was a long pause.  Al just stared at his brother.

"So then... _BROTHER_!"

Ed bolted into an upright sitting position as though the appalled tone in Al's voice had poked him sharply in the butt.  "Wh-What?!"

Al had leapt to his feet and seemed to be getting increasingly upset, his hollow-sounding voice reverberating in hysteria.  "Are you saying that you _stole_ Mr. Draco's _girlfriend_ from him?!"

"Shh!  Keep your voice down!" Ed hissed, his cheeks now bright red.  "Look, I didn't mean to! I didn't know!"

"How could you not know?!"

"It... It's kinda confusing.  And... complicated. Okay? They're not really..."  He sighed, exasperated. "I can't explain it."

With that, Al finally fell silent, sinking back into the sofa.  Ed watched him, as though to make sure he wouldn't make any more accusations.  He then leaned back into the bed, putting his arms behind his head. He stared up at the ceiling.

"Either way," he said at length, "I have to make it up to him now or I'm screwed.  I tried just apologizing to him, but he won't hear it."

"I thought you didn't like Mr. Draco."

Ed snorted.  "I don't. But that doesn't mean I want him thinking I'm some kinda girlfriend-snatcher like Mustang!"

Al just looked at Ed.  "Brother..."

It was hard to tell if he was relieved or still in shock, since he didn't have a very expressive face.  Even Ed wasn't sure. He looked back at Al for a moment, tilting his head curiously to one side. Then, dismissing it for now, he stretched his limbs out with a large yawn.

"I'm beat," he murmured sleepily, shutting his eyes and lazily scratching his stomach.  "I'm... just gonna..."

He didn't even get to finish his sentence as sleep suddenly overcame him.  It wasn't much longer before he was softly snoring away. Al eventually rose to his feet and approached the bed.  He removed Ed's boots and then pulled the thick green sheets over him, shaking his head and laughing quietly. In his sleep, Ed pulled at the blanket and rolled onto his side with a soft groan.

As soon as he had finished tucking his older brother in (it really _was_ hard to tell which one of them was older sometimes), Al straightened and looked at the door to the hallway.  Then, clenching his hands determinedly at his sides, he marched toward it and stepped out into the large hallway.  He walked right up to Draco's bedroom door and gently rapped on the door.

"Who's there?"

"It's Alphonse Elric, Mr. Draco."

There was some noise from the other side of the door and then the sound of approaching footsteps.  The door swung open, revealing Draco standing directly in its path so that Al couldn't step inside.  He leaned against the frame, looking Al up and down. He was intimidated by the sight of his armor, Al could tell, but did a pretty good job of not letting it show.

"Wh-What do you want?"

"Um..." Al lowered his gaze, anxiously shuffling his feet.  "I just wanted to apologize."

The hint of apprehension on Draco's face suddenly vanished.  His eyebrows arched up in surprise. "What for?"

"For my brother."

At once, Draco's face fell into a scowl.  "What'd he say?"

"Nothing!" Al said quickly, waving his hands frantically in front of him.  He then sighed emphatically, putting his hands together in front of him. "He didn't say anything.  But I just wanted to apologize for, um... anything he may have done. I'm sure he's been mean or rude to everyone, but... that's just how he is.  He had to grow up really fast and it's made him harsh. It's nothing personal. He doesn't mean any harm, really. Try to understand."

Draco was silent for a few moments, staring at Al with an unreadable expression on his face.  Al tried to remain very still, resisting the temptation to fidget under his hard gaze.

"He can be hard to get along with sometimes," he went on, feeling like he had to keep talking, "but please forgive him.  He doesn't really mean to come off that way. So... please?"

Still no response.  He just continued to look at Al as though he were studying him.  "You're apologizing for your brother..." He then shook his head in disbelief, chuckling in amusement.  "What are you, his representative? His agent?"

Al was thoughtful for a brief moment.  "In a way."

The teasing look on Draco's face faded.  "You're serious." Al nodded solemnly. Once again Draco looked him up and down.  "How old are you?"

"I'm fifteen, Mr. Draco."

Draco gave him an odd look.  "Fifteen, eh? Awful tall for your age."

Al shuffled his feet uncomfortably.  It wasn't like he had _asked_ to become a near eight-foot tall suit of armor.  Draco obviously didn't notice his discomfort as he continued to scrutinize him from his arrogant position in the doorway for a few more minutes.  

"So I suppose you really care about your brother."

"I do," replied Al, nodding.  "We're all each other has."

There was another pause as Draco continued to look at him.  However, his eyes no longer had the same contempt and annoyance as they did earlier.  It was hard to tell, but he almost seemed sympathetic. Draco eventually straightened himself, putting one hand on the door.

"I'll think about it."

Were he able to, Al would have beamed.  "Thank you, Mr. Draco!"

"Right," he muttered.  "And look, drop the 'mister,' alright?  Just 'Draco' is fine."

Then, without waiting for a response, Draco turned back and shut the door.  Though he could no longer see him, Al bowed politely before happily heading back across the hall to Ed's room.

 


End file.
